The study of the seals has brought many interpretations, but I have found as with the trumpets they do not meet the specifications of a fulfillment of the prophecy. Many believe that the seals occurred sometime in the past. For there to be a fulfillment there must be a beginning and ending point of the apocalyptic prophecy. All the specifications must be met and they must occur in chronological order. And as with any apocalyptic prophecy it can only be fulfilled once.
The Father wrote a book before He created humans or angels. This book contained all the names of anyone who would ever live and all the things that would ever happen. He then sealed it with seven seals. As each of these seals are broken it reveals more about Jesus and this revealing is what the book of Revelation is all about. As each of the seals are broken certain events correspond on the earth. These events help us to pinpoint where we are in time.
The first 3 of the seven seals are causes. Webster's dictionary gives the definition: one that produces an effect, result or consequence. The next 3 seals are the effects or the results of these causes.
The 1st Seal
And I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, "Come." And I looked, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him; and he went out conquering, and to conquer. Revelation 6:1-2
Who are these 4 living creatures. We see a description of them in Revelation 4:6-11 These creatures have omnivision, they can see everything in God's universe. One is described like a lion, one like an ox, and one had a face like a man and the last was like a flying eagle. These faces represent characteristics that were appreciated in John's day. The lion is unchallenged with authority. He is the king of beasts. The ox had great value and was full of strength. The man is a free will moral being, and the eagle has wisdom, he is silent and swift but he can be deadly when it is necessary. These creatures day and night say, " Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God, The Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come." These creatures are God's senior angels and they see to it that all God's orders are carried out.
Zechariah saw these same colored horses. …….. "These are the four spirits that are of heaven, going forth after standing before the Lord of the earth. Zechariah 6:5 And in Zechariah 1:10 …… "these are those whom the Lord has sent to patrol the earth." In Ezekiel chapters 1 and 10 you can find detailed studies of these four creatures.
The rider of the white horse goes out to conquer, but he does not conquer anything at the time of the opening of this seal. The 1st seal represents the knowledge that Salvation comes through faith in Jesus Christ, not the church. The timing of this seal was shortly after 1798. For 1,260 years the Roman Catholic church (little horn power) had claimed that salvation, the power of life and death came through the church. The little horn power was brought down. History proves that this world power was the Church of Rome. When Jesus opened this seal a revival message went throughout the world that Salvation came by faith through Him and this event on earth was called the "great awakening" during the 19th century in America and Europe. Never has there been such a spiritual revival. The effect of the mission of this angel is not completed until the 6th seal, the effects of the seals are cumulative.
And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat upon it is called Faithful and True; and in righteousness He judges and wages war. And His eyes are a flame of fire, and upon His head are many diadems; and He has a name written upon Him which no one knows except himself. And is clothed with a robe dipped in blood; and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. And from his mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may smite the nations; and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS." Revelation 19:11-16 Jesus returns with all of heaven with Him !
How do we know when these seals began to open? The Bible answers our question.
"I kept looking Until thrones were set up, And the Ancient of Days took His seat; His vesture was like white snow, And the hair of His head like pure wool. His throne was ablaze with flames, Its wheels were a burning fire. A river of fire was flowing And coming out from before Him; Thousands upon thousands were attending Him, And myriads upon myriads were standing before Him; the court sat, And the books were opened. Then I kept looking because of the sound of the boastful words which the horn (little horn power) was speaking; I kept looking until the beast was slain, and its body was destroyed and given to the burning fire. As for the rest of the beast, their dominion was taken away, but and extension of life was granted to them for an appointed period of time (In other words their descendents would remain.). I kept looking in the night visions And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man (Jesus) was coming, And he came up to the Ancient of Days (the Father) And was presented before Him, And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations , and men of every language Might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not pass away. And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed. Daniel 7:9-14 We see the Father take His seat in the heavenly court room and Jesus is given dominion, glory and a kingdom and subjects.
"As I kept looking, and that horn was waging war with the saints and overpowering them until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was passed in favor of the saints of the Highest One, and the time arrived when the saints took possession of the Kingdom. Daniel 7:21-22 The horn power is the church of Rome, the first Christian church, who persecuted the saints for 1,260 years Daniel 7:25 And he will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alteration in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time. A time is one year, times is 2 years and a half time is ½ year equals 1,260. A day for a year principle applies here so we are dealing with 1,260 years. We see that God declared a restraining order against the little horn (Church of Rome) in favor of the saints. The timing is shortly after 1798 when the little horn power was brought to its end. The deadly wound was inflicted upon the Papacy when Napoleon captured the pope in February 1798.
The 2nd Seal
And when He broke the 2nd seal, I heard the second living creature saying, "Come." And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the earth, and that men should slay one another; and a great sword (the Word) was given to him. Revelation 6:3-4
The Bible must interpret itself. The sword that this rider carries is the "Word of God". In Jesus' messages to the churches:
'Repent therefore; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of My mouth. Revelation 2:16 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12
When God removed Rome's authority the gospel commission was given to the Protestants (protestors.) Bible Societies were formed and Bibles were printed and distributed all over Europe and America. The work of this angel was to release the Word of God. The people of the world began to hear about the Salvation of Jesus. Bible's, the Word, had been kept from them during the dark ages, (1,260 years). It is said that over 50 million people were killed by the early church. From the work of this angel the Bible Societies grew all over America and Europe. Never has the gospel spread so far and fast as in the middle of the 19th century. The Word was finally available to all those from whom it had been withheld. This cause will be the source of a great war under the 5th seal.
The 3rd Seal
And when He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, "Come". And I looked, and behold, a black horse; and he who sat on it has a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard as it were a voice in the center of the four living creatures saying, " A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine." Revelation 6:5-6
We see this rider go out with a pair of scales in his hand. Even in our own judicial system, scales represent judgment. This rider went out to carry a message so that the people of earth might understand what Jesus was doing in heaven, for He had began to judge the dead and the year is 1844. Many still do not understand the pre-advent judgment, in fact most have not even heard of it or if they have, they rejected it because of an incomplete understanding. It is kind of like throwing the baby out with the bath water. In my own background in the church, if it is different then we don't believe it, and then it is a cult and we reject anything new as if God can't reveal anything new. Yet the books of Daniel and Revelation are only now being understood. We now have history behind us so that we can see exactly where we are in God's plan as new truth's unfold.
It is helpful if you will study the sanctuary service in order to better understand what Jesus is doing in heaven, for He is now our High Priest. The sanctuary service on earth was a model of what was going on in heaven. God has not left us to our own imaginations
The idea of a preadvent judgment is hard for some to accept. But think about it. When Jesus returns the Bible tells us the dead in Christ rise first and those who are alive will meet the Lord in the air. 1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18 So the records of the dead have to have been examined before the 2nd coming. The differences in the wicked and the righteous have been determined, otherwise we would see the wicked headed straight for heaven.
We know that Jesus received the Book of Life in 1798 and began opening the first seals. We also saw in Daniel 7:9-10 a heavenly court scene and that the books were opened. These books were the books of deeds or records. These books contain every thing that we do or say and every opportunity that we have had to come to Christ. God is fair in His judgment and every thing that we know or do not know is taken in consideration. All this is recorded by the recording angels. We are judged from these records as to whether we will receive everlasting life or death. We are judged by Jesus Christ Himself. It is important to realize that we are not judged from the Book of Life. The seventh seal will not be removed until after the 1,000 years of Revelation 20. What Daniel was witnessing was the judgment. This process began in 1844. Jesus began to investigate the records of the dead but, the living will judge themselves as to whether they take the mark in order to survive or live by faith in Jesus.
An interesting point is when Jesus was on earth He cleansed the earthly temple. It took 46 years to build this temple. It also took 46 years to prepare the way for understanding the pre advent message, 1798-1844. Just a little food for thought.
So how do we arrive at 1844.
In Daniel 8:14: And he said to me, "For 2,300 evenings and mornings (years) ; then the holy place will be properly restored (cleansed)." Now Daniel wanted to understand this vision and he was answered by Gabriel, ………"Son of man, understand that the vision pertains to the time of the end. Daniel 8:17 We see in these verses that it pertains to the end times. We also see the process begins after the 2,300 years. The 2,300 years began with the decree to rebuild and restore Jerusalem in 457 BC and ended in 1844. Actually we can see that 2300 - 457 would be 1843, but there is no year 0 to span BC to AD so 1843 + 1 = 1844. Every sin is recorded in heaven's sanctuary just as the sins of Israel were recorded on the horns of the altar in the earthly sanctuary. On the Day of Atonement these sins were removed and the sanctuary was cleansed. In 1844 Jesus began this process in heaven and He began to examine the books of record.
Is there an event on the earth in 1844. Yes. This year certainly did not go by unnoticed. God raised up groups of people in America and Europe who had prophetic understanding about the 2,300 days in Daniel 8:14. One of these was William Miller a Baptist preacher, but Miller thought the cleansing was that of the earth and that the 2nd coming would occur when the 2,300 days expired. .Many people in many denominations believed that Jesus was about to return. There was a great revival. The followers of Miller became known as the Millerites. When Jesus did not return the Millerite revival died. But the understanding of the 2,300 days continues to unfold.
Those who built the sanctuary in Solomon's day were paid with wheat and barley (2 Chronicles 2:10, 15). Those who first tried to build the understanding of heavens sanctuary are promised wages. Those who first carried this message believed that most of Revelation was fulfilled. They did not carry a complete message as they did not have full understanding but, God will give them a full reward for their services. There is also a warning in this seal. Don't harm the oil or wine. The oil represents the Holy Spirit (Zechariah 4), the wine symbolizes doctrine or teaching. (Revelation 17:2) Receive the Holy Spirit, don't reject this teaching of the ministry of Jesus. New truths continue to unfold in prophecy as we come closer to it's fulfillment. We need to be open to the Spirit so He can reveal these deep things of God.
The 4th seal
And when He broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying,, "Come." And I looked , and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades was following with him. And authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth. Revelation 6:7-8
We see this rider go out and he brings death and Hades meaning the grave with him. The opening of this seal brings devastation upon the earth with these four judgments of God, sword, famine, pestilence and wild beasts. Twenty-five percent of the people of earth will die during these judgments.
The fourth seal is chronologically the next to be opened. To those claiming that these seals were all opened in the past, where in history can we find that ¼ of earth's population has died from these judgments. We are not speaking of ¼ of an area but of the earth.
God has used these four judgments before when man has filled his cup of iniquity.
Ezekiel 14:13 "Son of man, if a country sins against Me by committing unfaithfulness, and I stretch out My hand against it, destroy its supply of bread, send famine against it, and cut off from it both man and beast….
15 "If I were to cause wild beast to pass through the land, they depopulated it, and it became desolate so that no one would pass through it because of the beasts…
17 "Or I should bring a sward on that country and say, 'Let the sword pass through the country and cut off man and beast from it,……
19 "Or if I should send a plague against that country and pour out My wrath in blood on it, to cut off man and beast from it…..
21 For thus says the Lord God, " How much more when I send My four severe judgments against Jerusalem: sword, famine, wild beast, and plague to cut off man and beast from it!
22 " Yet, behold, survivors will be left in it who will be brought out, both sons and daughters. Behold, they are going to come froth to you and you will see their conduct and actions; them you will be comforted for the calamity which I have brought against Jerusalem for everything which I have brought upon it.
23 "Then they will comfort you when you see their conduct and actions, for you will know that I have not done in vain whatever I did to it," declares the Lord God.
We also see where God used these judgments in Deuteronomy 32 and Leviticus 26.
For those who claim the seals have already been broken, this one seal proves that they have not. When in the history of this world has ¼ of the world been killed. This does not say one area but ¼ of the whole earth by sword, famine, pestilence and wild beasts.
This seal is the next to open. Man is so busy all the time that He has forgotten his Creator. God is going to get his attention and His wrath is going to be poured out on this earth. Many will be ready to hear the gospel when all the props are knocked out. Everything we put our faith in, all the material things that we worship are gone. God has people everywhere and He will reveal His truths through His servants during this times. Many will come to Christ upon hearing truth with all man's traditions removed.
The 5th seal
And when He broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, wilt Thou refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, should be completed also. Revelation 6:9-10
There will be many martyrs during the 5th seal because of the Word of God. Satan himself will be on the earth claiming to be God and many will believe him because of the miracles he performs. God's people will be faithfully witnessing, true to their faith. They would rather die than accept the mark. With the pressure on God's people they will shine and those who claim to be His and are not will be exposed. They will be no more straddling the fence, no more pretense.
The 6th Seal
And I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and whole moon became like blood; and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. And the sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the lamb; for the great day of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has comp and who is able to stand?" Revelation 6:12-17
The opening of the 6th seal brings Christ's return for His people, but notice too that others come with Him. Just as the work of the 1st seal began on a white horse it's conclusion brings our Lord and Savior to our rescue on a white horse. Many do not realize that Christ does not return for us alone. God Himself comes with Him along with all the angels in heaven. What a sight!
And I saw heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and He who sat upon it is called Faithful and True; and in righteousness He judges and wages war. And His eyes are a flame of fire, and upon His head are many diadems; and he has a name written upo0n Him which no one knows except Himself. And He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood; and His name is called The Word of God.. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. And from His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may smite the nations; and he will rule them with f rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. Revelation 19:11-15
The 7th Seal
And when he broke the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. Revelation 8:1
There is only one place in the Bible that tells us when the 7th seal is opened and the contents of the Book of Life are revealed. Jesus opens the 7th seal at the end of the 1,000 years. Everyone who has ever lived will be alive at the same time. Can you imagine this scene.
The rest of the dead ( the wicked) did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who has part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years. Revelation 20:5-6
Verse 12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds.
Verse 15 And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
I pray that I will see each of you in heaven for that 1,000 years. It will be great getting to know you!
Showing posts with label prophecy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label prophecy. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Thursday, September 3, 2009
The 7 Seals of Revelation
The study of the seals has brought many interpretations, but I have found as with the trumpets they do not meet the specifications of a fulfillment of the prophecy. Many believe that the seals occurred sometime in the past. For there to be a fulfillment there must be a beginning and ending point of the apocalyptic prophecy. All the specifications must be met and they must occur in chronological order. And as with any apocalyptic prophecy it can only be fulfilled once.
The Father wrote a book before He created humans or angels. This book contained all the names of anyone who would ever live and all the things that would ever happen. He then sealed it with seven seals. As each of these seals are broken it reveals more about Jesus and this revealing is what the book of Revelation is all about. As each of the seals are broken certain events correspond on the earth. These events help us to pinpoint where we are in time.
The first 3 of the seven seals are causes. Webster's dictionary gives the definition: one that produces an effect, result or consequence. The next 3 seals are the effects or the results of these causes.
The 1st Seal
And I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, "Come." And I looked, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him; and he went out conquering, and to conquer. Revelation 6:1-2
Who are these 4 living creatures. We see a description of them in Revelation 4:6-11 These creatures have omnivision, they can see everything in God's universe. One is described like a lion, one like an ox, and one had a face like a man and the last was like a flying eagle. These faces represent characteristics that were appreciated in John's day. The lion is unchallenged with authority. He is the king of beasts. The ox had great value and was full of strength. The man is a free will moral being, and the eagle has wisdom, he is silent and swift but he can be deadly when it is necessary. These creatures day and night say, " Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God, The Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come." These creatures are God's senior angels and they see to it that all God's orders are carried out.
Zechariah saw these same colored horses. …….. "These are the four spirits that are of heaven, going forth after standing before the Lord of the earth. Zechariah 6:5 And in Zechariah 1:10 …… "these are those whom the Lord has sent to patrol the earth." In Ezekiel chapters 1 and 10 you can find detailed studies of these four creatures.
The rider of the white horse goes out to conquer, but he does not conquer anything at the time of the opening of this seal. The 1st seal represents the knowledge that Salvation comes through faith in Jesus Christ, not the church. The timing of this seal was shortly after 1798. For 1,260 years the Roman Catholic church (little horn power) had claimed that salvation, the power of life and death came through the church. The little horn power was brought down. History proves that this world power was the Church of Rome. When Jesus opened this seal a revival message went throughout the world that Salvation came by faith through Him and this event on earth was called the "great awakening" during the 19th century in America and Europe. Never has there been such a spiritual revival. The effect of the mission of this angel is not completed until the 6th seal, the effects of the seals are cumulative.
And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat upon it is called Faithful and True; and in righteousness He judges and wages war. And His eyes are a flame of fire, and upon His head are many diadems; and He has a name written upon Him which no one knows except himself. And is clothed with a robe dipped in blood; and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. And from his mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may smite the nations; and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS." Revelation 19:11-16 Jesus returns with all of heaven with Him !
How do we know when these seals began to open? The Bible answers our question.
"I kept looking Until thrones were set up, And the Ancient of Days took His seat; His vesture was like white snow, And the hair of His head like pure wool. His throne was ablaze with flames, Its wheels were a burning fire. A river of fire was flowing And coming out from before Him; Thousands upon thousands were attending Him, And myriads upon myriads were standing before Him; the court sat, And the books were opened. Then I kept looking because of the sound of the boastful words which the horn (little horn power) was speaking; I kept looking until the beast was slain, and its body was destroyed and given to the burning fire. As for the rest of the beast, their dominion was taken away, but and extension of life was granted to them for an appointed period of time (In other words their descendents would remain.). I kept looking in the night visions And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man (Jesus) was coming, And he came up to the Ancient of Days (the Father) And was presented before Him, And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations , and men of every language Might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not pass away. And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed. Daniel 7:9-14 We see the Father take His seat in the heavenly court room and Jesus is given dominion, glory and a kingdom and subjects.
"As I kept looking, and that horn was waging war with the saints and overpowering them until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was passed in favor of the saints of the Highest One, and the time arrived when the saints took possession of the Kingdom. Daniel 7:21-22 The horn power is the church of Rome, the first Christian church, who persecuted the saints for 1,260 years Daniel 7:25 And he will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alteration in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time. A time is one year, times is 2 years and a half time is ½ year equals 1,260. A day for a year principle applies here so we are dealing with 1,260 years. We see that God declared a restraining order against the little horn (Church of Rome) in favor of the saints. The timing is shortly after 1798 when the little horn power was brought to its end. The deadly wound was inflicted upon the Papacy when Napoleon captured the pope in February 1798.
The 2nd Seal
And when He broke the 2nd seal, I heard the second living creature saying, "Come." And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the earth, and that men should slay one another; and a great sword (the Word) was given to him. Revelation 6:3-4
The Bible must interpret itself. The sword that this rider carries is the "Word of God". In Jesus' messages to the churches:
'Repent therefore; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of My mouth. Revelation 2:16 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12
When God removed Rome's authority the gospel commission was given to the Protestants (protestors.) Bible Societies were formed and Bibles were printed and distributed all over Europe and America. The work of this angel was to release the Word of God. The people of the world began to hear about the Salvation of Jesus. Bible's, the Word, had been kept from them during the dark ages, (1,260 years). It is said that over 50 million people were killed by the early church. From the work of this angel the Bible Societies grew all over America and Europe. Never has the gospel spread so far and fast as in the middle of the 19th century. The Word was finally available to all those from whom it had been withheld. This cause will be the source of a great war under the 5th seal.
The 3rd Seal
And when He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, "Come". And I looked, and behold, a black horse; and he who sat on it has a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard as it were a voice in the center of the four living creatures saying, " A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine." Revelation 6:5-6
We see this rider go out with a pair of scales in his hand. Even in our own judicial system, scales represent judgment. This rider went out to carry a message so that the people of earth might understand what Jesus was doing in heaven, for He had began to judge the dead and the year is 1844. Many still do not understand the pre-advent judgment, in fact most have not even heard of it or if they have, they rejected it because of an incomplete understanding. It is kind of like throwing the baby out with the bath water. In my own background in the church, if it is different then we don't believe it, and then it is a cult and we reject anything new as if God can't reveal anything new. Yet the books of Daniel and Revelation are only now being understood. We now have history behind us so that we can see exactly where we are in God's plan as new truth's unfold.
It is helpful if you will study the sanctuary service in order to better understand what Jesus is doing in heaven, for He is now our High Priest. The sanctuary service on earth was a model of what was going on in heaven. God has not left us to our own imaginations
The idea of a preadvent judgment is hard for some to accept. But think about it. When Jesus returns the Bible tells us the dead in Christ rise first and those who are alive will meet the Lord in the air. 1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18 So the records of the dead have to have been examined before the 2nd coming. The differences in the wicked and the righteous have been determined, otherwise we would see the wicked headed straight for heaven.
We know that Jesus received the Book of Life in 1798 and began opening the first seals. We also saw in Daniel 7:9-10 a heavenly court scene and that the books were opened. These books were the books of deeds or records. These books contain every thing that we do or say and every opportunity that we have had to come to Christ. God is fair in His judgment and every thing that we know or do not know is taken in consideration. All this is recorded by the recording angels. We are judged from these records as to whether we will receive everlasting life or death. We are judged by Jesus Christ Himself. It is important to realize that we are not judged from the Book of Life. The seventh seal will not be removed until after the 1,000 years of Revelation 20. What Daniel was witnessing was the judgment. This process began in 1844. Jesus began to investigate the records of the dead but, the living will judge themselves as to whether they take the mark in order to survive or live by faith in Jesus.
An interesting point is when Jesus was on earth He cleansed the earthly temple. It took 46 years to build this temple. It also took 46 years to prepare the way for understanding the pre advent message, 1798-1844. Just a little food for thought.
So how do we arrive at 1844.
In Daniel 8:14: And he said to me, "For 2,300 evenings and mornings (years) ; then the holy place will be properly restored (cleansed)." Now Daniel wanted to understand this vision and he was answered by Gabriel, ………"Son of man, understand that the vision pertains to the time of the end. Daniel 8:17 We see in these verses that it pertains to the end times. We also see the process begins after the 2,300 years. The 2,300 years began with the decree to rebuild and restore Jerusalem in 457 BC and ended in 1844. Actually we can see that 2300 - 457 would be 1843, but there is no year 0 to span BC to AD so 1843 + 1 = 1844. Every sin is recorded in heaven's sanctuary just as the sins of Israel were recorded on the horns of the altar in the earthly sanctuary. On the Day of Atonement these sins were removed and the sanctuary was cleansed. In 1844 Jesus began this process in heaven and He began to examine the books of record.
Is there an event on the earth in 1844. Yes. This year certainly did not go by unnoticed. God raised up groups of people in America and Europe who had prophetic understanding about the 2,300 days in Daniel 8:14. One of these was William Miller a Baptist preacher, but Miller thought the cleansing was that of the earth and that the 2nd coming would occur when the 2,300 days expired. .Many people in many denominations believed that Jesus was about to return. There was a great revival. The followers of Miller became known as the Millerites. When Jesus did not return the Millerite revival died. But the understanding of the 2,300 days continues to unfold.
Those who built the sanctuary in Solomon's day were paid with wheat and barley (2 Chronicles 2:10, 15). Those who first tried to build the understanding of heavens sanctuary are promised wages. Those who first carried this message believed that most of Revelation was fulfilled. They did not carry a complete message as they did not have full understanding but, God will give them a full reward for their services. There is also a warning in this seal. Don't harm the oil or wine. The oil represents the Holy Spirit (Zechariah 4), the wine symbolizes doctrine or teaching. (Revelation 17:2) Receive the Holy Spirit, don't reject this teaching of the ministry of Jesus. New truths continue to unfold in prophecy as we come closer to it's fulfillment. We need to be open to the Spirit so He can reveal these deep things of God.
The 4th seal
And when He broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying,, "Come." And I looked , and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades was following with him. And authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth. Revelation 6:7-8
We see this rider go out and he brings death and Hades meaning the grave with him. The opening of this seal brings devastation upon the earth with these four judgments of God, sword, famine, pestilence and wild beasts. Twenty-five percent of the people of earth will die during these judgments.
The fourth seal is chronologically the next to be opened. To those claiming that these seals were all opened in the past, where in history can we find that ¼ of earth's population has died from these judgments. We are not speaking of ¼ of an area but of the earth.
God has used these four judgments before when man has filled his cup of iniquity.
Ezekiel 14:13 "Son of man, if a country sins against Me by committing unfaithfulness, and I stretch out My hand against it, destroy its supply of bread, send famine against it, and cut off from it both man and beast….
15 "If I were to cause wild beast to pass through the land, they depopulated it, and it became desolate so that no one would pass through it because of the beasts…
17 "Or I should bring a sward on that country and say, 'Let the sword pass through the country and cut off man and beast from it,……
19 "Or if I should send a plague against that country and pour out My wrath in blood on it, to cut off man and beast from it…..
21 For thus says the Lord God, " How much more when I send My four severe judgments against Jerusalem: sword, famine, wild beast, and plague to cut off man and beast from it!
22 " Yet, behold, survivors will be left in it who will be brought out, both sons and daughters. Behold, they are going to come froth to you and you will see their conduct and actions; them you will be comforted for the calamity which I have brought against Jerusalem for everything which I have brought upon it.
23 "Then they will comfort you when you see their conduct and actions, for you will know that I have not done in vain whatever I did to it," declares the Lord God.
We also see where God used these judgments in Deuteronomy 32 and Leviticus 26.
For those who claim the seals have already been broken, this one seal proves that they have not. When in the history of this world has ¼ of the world been killed. This does not say one area but ¼ of the whole earth by sword, famine, pestilence and wild beasts.
This seal is the next to open. Man is so busy all the time that He has forgotten his Creator. God is going to get his attention and His wrath is going to be poured out on this earth. Many will be ready to hear the gospel when all the props are knocked out. Everything we put our faith in, all the material things that we worship are gone. God has people everywhere and He will reveal His truths through His servants during this times. Many will come to Christ upon hearing truth with all man's traditions removed.
The 5th seal
And when He broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, wilt Thou refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, should be completed also. Revelation 6:9-10
There will be many martyrs during the 5th seal because of the Word of God. Satan himself will be on the earth claiming to be God and many will believe him because of the miracles he performs. God's people will be faithfully witnessing, true to their faith. They would rather die than accept the mark. With the pressure on God's people they will shine and those who claim to be His and are not will be exposed. They will be no more straddling the fence, no more pretense.
The 6th Seal
And I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and whole moon became like blood; and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. And the sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the lamb; for the great day of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has comp and who is able to stand?" Revelation 6:12-17
The opening of the 6th seal brings Christ's return for His people, but notice too that others come with Him. Just as the work of the 1st seal began on a white horse it's conclusion brings our Lord and Savior to our rescue on a white horse. Many do not realize that Christ does not return for us alone. God Himself comes with Him along with all the angels in heaven. What a sight!
And I saw heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and He who sat upon it is called Faithful and True; and in righteousness He judges and wages war. And His eyes are a flame of fire, and upon His head are many diadems; and he has a name written upo0n Him which no one knows except Himself. And He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood; and His name is called The Word of God.. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. And from His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may smite the nations; and he will rule them with f rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. Revelation 19:11-15
The 7th Seal
And when he broke the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. Revelation 8:1
There is only one place in the Bible that tells us when the 7th seal is opened and the contents of the Book of Life are revealed. Jesus opens the 7th seal at the end of the 1,000 years. Everyone who has ever lived will be alive at the same time. Can you imagine this scene.
The rest of the dead ( the wicked) did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who has part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years. Revelation 20:5-6
Verse 12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds.
Verse 15 And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
I pray that I will see each of you in heaven for that 1,000 years. It will be great getting to know you!
The Father wrote a book before He created humans or angels. This book contained all the names of anyone who would ever live and all the things that would ever happen. He then sealed it with seven seals. As each of these seals are broken it reveals more about Jesus and this revealing is what the book of Revelation is all about. As each of the seals are broken certain events correspond on the earth. These events help us to pinpoint where we are in time.
The first 3 of the seven seals are causes. Webster's dictionary gives the definition: one that produces an effect, result or consequence. The next 3 seals are the effects or the results of these causes.
The 1st Seal
And I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, "Come." And I looked, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him; and he went out conquering, and to conquer. Revelation 6:1-2
Who are these 4 living creatures. We see a description of them in Revelation 4:6-11 These creatures have omnivision, they can see everything in God's universe. One is described like a lion, one like an ox, and one had a face like a man and the last was like a flying eagle. These faces represent characteristics that were appreciated in John's day. The lion is unchallenged with authority. He is the king of beasts. The ox had great value and was full of strength. The man is a free will moral being, and the eagle has wisdom, he is silent and swift but he can be deadly when it is necessary. These creatures day and night say, " Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God, The Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come." These creatures are God's senior angels and they see to it that all God's orders are carried out.
Zechariah saw these same colored horses. …….. "These are the four spirits that are of heaven, going forth after standing before the Lord of the earth. Zechariah 6:5 And in Zechariah 1:10 …… "these are those whom the Lord has sent to patrol the earth." In Ezekiel chapters 1 and 10 you can find detailed studies of these four creatures.
The rider of the white horse goes out to conquer, but he does not conquer anything at the time of the opening of this seal. The 1st seal represents the knowledge that Salvation comes through faith in Jesus Christ, not the church. The timing of this seal was shortly after 1798. For 1,260 years the Roman Catholic church (little horn power) had claimed that salvation, the power of life and death came through the church. The little horn power was brought down. History proves that this world power was the Church of Rome. When Jesus opened this seal a revival message went throughout the world that Salvation came by faith through Him and this event on earth was called the "great awakening" during the 19th century in America and Europe. Never has there been such a spiritual revival. The effect of the mission of this angel is not completed until the 6th seal, the effects of the seals are cumulative.
And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat upon it is called Faithful and True; and in righteousness He judges and wages war. And His eyes are a flame of fire, and upon His head are many diadems; and He has a name written upon Him which no one knows except himself. And is clothed with a robe dipped in blood; and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. And from his mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may smite the nations; and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS." Revelation 19:11-16 Jesus returns with all of heaven with Him !
How do we know when these seals began to open? The Bible answers our question.
"I kept looking Until thrones were set up, And the Ancient of Days took His seat; His vesture was like white snow, And the hair of His head like pure wool. His throne was ablaze with flames, Its wheels were a burning fire. A river of fire was flowing And coming out from before Him; Thousands upon thousands were attending Him, And myriads upon myriads were standing before Him; the court sat, And the books were opened. Then I kept looking because of the sound of the boastful words which the horn (little horn power) was speaking; I kept looking until the beast was slain, and its body was destroyed and given to the burning fire. As for the rest of the beast, their dominion was taken away, but and extension of life was granted to them for an appointed period of time (In other words their descendents would remain.). I kept looking in the night visions And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man (Jesus) was coming, And he came up to the Ancient of Days (the Father) And was presented before Him, And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations , and men of every language Might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not pass away. And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed. Daniel 7:9-14 We see the Father take His seat in the heavenly court room and Jesus is given dominion, glory and a kingdom and subjects.
"As I kept looking, and that horn was waging war with the saints and overpowering them until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was passed in favor of the saints of the Highest One, and the time arrived when the saints took possession of the Kingdom. Daniel 7:21-22 The horn power is the church of Rome, the first Christian church, who persecuted the saints for 1,260 years Daniel 7:25 And he will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alteration in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time. A time is one year, times is 2 years and a half time is ½ year equals 1,260. A day for a year principle applies here so we are dealing with 1,260 years. We see that God declared a restraining order against the little horn (Church of Rome) in favor of the saints. The timing is shortly after 1798 when the little horn power was brought to its end. The deadly wound was inflicted upon the Papacy when Napoleon captured the pope in February 1798.
The 2nd Seal
And when He broke the 2nd seal, I heard the second living creature saying, "Come." And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the earth, and that men should slay one another; and a great sword (the Word) was given to him. Revelation 6:3-4
The Bible must interpret itself. The sword that this rider carries is the "Word of God". In Jesus' messages to the churches:
'Repent therefore; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of My mouth. Revelation 2:16 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12
When God removed Rome's authority the gospel commission was given to the Protestants (protestors.) Bible Societies were formed and Bibles were printed and distributed all over Europe and America. The work of this angel was to release the Word of God. The people of the world began to hear about the Salvation of Jesus. Bible's, the Word, had been kept from them during the dark ages, (1,260 years). It is said that over 50 million people were killed by the early church. From the work of this angel the Bible Societies grew all over America and Europe. Never has the gospel spread so far and fast as in the middle of the 19th century. The Word was finally available to all those from whom it had been withheld. This cause will be the source of a great war under the 5th seal.
The 3rd Seal
And when He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, "Come". And I looked, and behold, a black horse; and he who sat on it has a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard as it were a voice in the center of the four living creatures saying, " A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine." Revelation 6:5-6
We see this rider go out with a pair of scales in his hand. Even in our own judicial system, scales represent judgment. This rider went out to carry a message so that the people of earth might understand what Jesus was doing in heaven, for He had began to judge the dead and the year is 1844. Many still do not understand the pre-advent judgment, in fact most have not even heard of it or if they have, they rejected it because of an incomplete understanding. It is kind of like throwing the baby out with the bath water. In my own background in the church, if it is different then we don't believe it, and then it is a cult and we reject anything new as if God can't reveal anything new. Yet the books of Daniel and Revelation are only now being understood. We now have history behind us so that we can see exactly where we are in God's plan as new truth's unfold.
It is helpful if you will study the sanctuary service in order to better understand what Jesus is doing in heaven, for He is now our High Priest. The sanctuary service on earth was a model of what was going on in heaven. God has not left us to our own imaginations
The idea of a preadvent judgment is hard for some to accept. But think about it. When Jesus returns the Bible tells us the dead in Christ rise first and those who are alive will meet the Lord in the air. 1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18 So the records of the dead have to have been examined before the 2nd coming. The differences in the wicked and the righteous have been determined, otherwise we would see the wicked headed straight for heaven.
We know that Jesus received the Book of Life in 1798 and began opening the first seals. We also saw in Daniel 7:9-10 a heavenly court scene and that the books were opened. These books were the books of deeds or records. These books contain every thing that we do or say and every opportunity that we have had to come to Christ. God is fair in His judgment and every thing that we know or do not know is taken in consideration. All this is recorded by the recording angels. We are judged from these records as to whether we will receive everlasting life or death. We are judged by Jesus Christ Himself. It is important to realize that we are not judged from the Book of Life. The seventh seal will not be removed until after the 1,000 years of Revelation 20. What Daniel was witnessing was the judgment. This process began in 1844. Jesus began to investigate the records of the dead but, the living will judge themselves as to whether they take the mark in order to survive or live by faith in Jesus.
An interesting point is when Jesus was on earth He cleansed the earthly temple. It took 46 years to build this temple. It also took 46 years to prepare the way for understanding the pre advent message, 1798-1844. Just a little food for thought.
So how do we arrive at 1844.
In Daniel 8:14: And he said to me, "For 2,300 evenings and mornings (years) ; then the holy place will be properly restored (cleansed)." Now Daniel wanted to understand this vision and he was answered by Gabriel, ………"Son of man, understand that the vision pertains to the time of the end. Daniel 8:17 We see in these verses that it pertains to the end times. We also see the process begins after the 2,300 years. The 2,300 years began with the decree to rebuild and restore Jerusalem in 457 BC and ended in 1844. Actually we can see that 2300 - 457 would be 1843, but there is no year 0 to span BC to AD so 1843 + 1 = 1844. Every sin is recorded in heaven's sanctuary just as the sins of Israel were recorded on the horns of the altar in the earthly sanctuary. On the Day of Atonement these sins were removed and the sanctuary was cleansed. In 1844 Jesus began this process in heaven and He began to examine the books of record.
Is there an event on the earth in 1844. Yes. This year certainly did not go by unnoticed. God raised up groups of people in America and Europe who had prophetic understanding about the 2,300 days in Daniel 8:14. One of these was William Miller a Baptist preacher, but Miller thought the cleansing was that of the earth and that the 2nd coming would occur when the 2,300 days expired. .Many people in many denominations believed that Jesus was about to return. There was a great revival. The followers of Miller became known as the Millerites. When Jesus did not return the Millerite revival died. But the understanding of the 2,300 days continues to unfold.
Those who built the sanctuary in Solomon's day were paid with wheat and barley (2 Chronicles 2:10, 15). Those who first tried to build the understanding of heavens sanctuary are promised wages. Those who first carried this message believed that most of Revelation was fulfilled. They did not carry a complete message as they did not have full understanding but, God will give them a full reward for their services. There is also a warning in this seal. Don't harm the oil or wine. The oil represents the Holy Spirit (Zechariah 4), the wine symbolizes doctrine or teaching. (Revelation 17:2) Receive the Holy Spirit, don't reject this teaching of the ministry of Jesus. New truths continue to unfold in prophecy as we come closer to it's fulfillment. We need to be open to the Spirit so He can reveal these deep things of God.
The 4th seal
And when He broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying,, "Come." And I looked , and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades was following with him. And authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth. Revelation 6:7-8
We see this rider go out and he brings death and Hades meaning the grave with him. The opening of this seal brings devastation upon the earth with these four judgments of God, sword, famine, pestilence and wild beasts. Twenty-five percent of the people of earth will die during these judgments.
The fourth seal is chronologically the next to be opened. To those claiming that these seals were all opened in the past, where in history can we find that ¼ of earth's population has died from these judgments. We are not speaking of ¼ of an area but of the earth.
God has used these four judgments before when man has filled his cup of iniquity.
Ezekiel 14:13 "Son of man, if a country sins against Me by committing unfaithfulness, and I stretch out My hand against it, destroy its supply of bread, send famine against it, and cut off from it both man and beast….
15 "If I were to cause wild beast to pass through the land, they depopulated it, and it became desolate so that no one would pass through it because of the beasts…
17 "Or I should bring a sward on that country and say, 'Let the sword pass through the country and cut off man and beast from it,……
19 "Or if I should send a plague against that country and pour out My wrath in blood on it, to cut off man and beast from it…..
21 For thus says the Lord God, " How much more when I send My four severe judgments against Jerusalem: sword, famine, wild beast, and plague to cut off man and beast from it!
22 " Yet, behold, survivors will be left in it who will be brought out, both sons and daughters. Behold, they are going to come froth to you and you will see their conduct and actions; them you will be comforted for the calamity which I have brought against Jerusalem for everything which I have brought upon it.
23 "Then they will comfort you when you see their conduct and actions, for you will know that I have not done in vain whatever I did to it," declares the Lord God.
We also see where God used these judgments in Deuteronomy 32 and Leviticus 26.
For those who claim the seals have already been broken, this one seal proves that they have not. When in the history of this world has ¼ of the world been killed. This does not say one area but ¼ of the whole earth by sword, famine, pestilence and wild beasts.
This seal is the next to open. Man is so busy all the time that He has forgotten his Creator. God is going to get his attention and His wrath is going to be poured out on this earth. Many will be ready to hear the gospel when all the props are knocked out. Everything we put our faith in, all the material things that we worship are gone. God has people everywhere and He will reveal His truths through His servants during this times. Many will come to Christ upon hearing truth with all man's traditions removed.
The 5th seal
And when He broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, wilt Thou refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, should be completed also. Revelation 6:9-10
There will be many martyrs during the 5th seal because of the Word of God. Satan himself will be on the earth claiming to be God and many will believe him because of the miracles he performs. God's people will be faithfully witnessing, true to their faith. They would rather die than accept the mark. With the pressure on God's people they will shine and those who claim to be His and are not will be exposed. They will be no more straddling the fence, no more pretense.
The 6th Seal
And I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and whole moon became like blood; and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. And the sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the lamb; for the great day of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has comp and who is able to stand?" Revelation 6:12-17
The opening of the 6th seal brings Christ's return for His people, but notice too that others come with Him. Just as the work of the 1st seal began on a white horse it's conclusion brings our Lord and Savior to our rescue on a white horse. Many do not realize that Christ does not return for us alone. God Himself comes with Him along with all the angels in heaven. What a sight!
And I saw heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and He who sat upon it is called Faithful and True; and in righteousness He judges and wages war. And His eyes are a flame of fire, and upon His head are many diadems; and he has a name written upo0n Him which no one knows except Himself. And He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood; and His name is called The Word of God.. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. And from His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may smite the nations; and he will rule them with f rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. Revelation 19:11-15
The 7th Seal
And when he broke the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. Revelation 8:1
There is only one place in the Bible that tells us when the 7th seal is opened and the contents of the Book of Life are revealed. Jesus opens the 7th seal at the end of the 1,000 years. Everyone who has ever lived will be alive at the same time. Can you imagine this scene.
The rest of the dead ( the wicked) did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who has part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years. Revelation 20:5-6
Verse 12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds.
Verse 15 And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
I pray that I will see each of you in heaven for that 1,000 years. It will be great getting to know you!
Friday, August 28, 2009
The Seven Last Plagues of Revelation
Revelation 15:1 And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.
When the 7 last plagues begin, mercy is ended. God’s wrath will be poured out full strength. Everyone has made his decision and is sealed in that decision. The 7 last plagues are poured out on the wicked, but the people of God will not affected by these plagues. Like the closing of the door of Noah's ark, God will protect and provide for His people. He will send hamburgers from heaven if necessary. The wicked have received the mark of the beast, broken God’s law and they are the recipients of these plagues. The remnant of God are those who have lived by faith and have kept the commandments of God.
Let's take a look at these plagues.
Revelation 15:6 And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles.
15:7 And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.
15:8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.
Revelation 16:1 And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.
Revelation16: 2 And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.
16:3 And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.
16:4 And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood.
16:5 And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus.
16:6 For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.
16:7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.
16:8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.
16:9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.
16:10 And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain,
16:11 And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.
16:12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.
16:13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
16:14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
16:15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
Daniel 12:1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.
Notice the close parallel of the destruction of the first 7 trumpets. The first 4 trumpets affected 1/3 of the earth and the 7 last plagues affect the whole world. The 5th trumpet announces the arrival of satan and the 5th plague marks the unmasking of satan. Satan blames the trumpets and the 1st 4 plagues on the saints and when Jesus pours out the 5th plague the wicked see the person claiming to be God isn’t their God, for God wouldn’t destroy His own throne. Their deceiver is satan himself.
The 6th plague is the battle called Armageddon.
Revelation16: 16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon. Not one saint will die here.
The 7th angel announces the coming of Jesus.
16:17 And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air, and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.
Revelation 16:18 And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.
The wicked people of earth cry out:
Revelation 6:16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
6:17 For the great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
Revelation16:19 And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath.
16:20 And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.
16:21 And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.
Man still in the end denies the authority of God.
2Thessalonians 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming:
The great hail that falls upon the earth at the coming of Christ can be compared to the fiery hail that fell during the 1st trumpet. The difference is in the devastation and size. During the 1st trumpet 1/3 of the earth, grass and tress are burned up. The hail of the 7th plague burns Babylon up.
Revelation 19:20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
19:21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of Him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of His mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.
The rider is none other than the King of Kings!
Rev 19:11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He doth judge and make war.
19:12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns; and He had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
19:13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and His name is called The Word of God.
19:14 And the armies which were in heaven followed Him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
19:15 And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and He treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
19:16 And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
The saints will then be taken to heaven!
1Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Revelation 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
20:5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
Satan and his army will be defeated at the Second Coming and the saints return to heaven with King Jesus for 1,000 years. The saints will determine the punishment of the wicked. The saints will then descend within the New Jerusalem to the Earth to live with Christ for eternity.
Our prayer is that you will accept Jesus Christ as your Savior TODAY and learn to live by faith in Him. He is trustworthy. It is His wish and ours that no one would have to face this final wrath.
When the 7 last plagues begin, mercy is ended. God’s wrath will be poured out full strength. Everyone has made his decision and is sealed in that decision. The 7 last plagues are poured out on the wicked, but the people of God will not affected by these plagues. Like the closing of the door of Noah's ark, God will protect and provide for His people. He will send hamburgers from heaven if necessary. The wicked have received the mark of the beast, broken God’s law and they are the recipients of these plagues. The remnant of God are those who have lived by faith and have kept the commandments of God.
Let's take a look at these plagues.
Revelation 15:6 And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles.
15:7 And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.
15:8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.
Revelation 16:1 And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.
Revelation16: 2 And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.
16:3 And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.
16:4 And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood.
16:5 And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus.
16:6 For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.
16:7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.
16:8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.
16:9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.
16:10 And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain,
16:11 And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.
16:12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.
16:13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
16:14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
16:15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
Daniel 12:1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.
Notice the close parallel of the destruction of the first 7 trumpets. The first 4 trumpets affected 1/3 of the earth and the 7 last plagues affect the whole world. The 5th trumpet announces the arrival of satan and the 5th plague marks the unmasking of satan. Satan blames the trumpets and the 1st 4 plagues on the saints and when Jesus pours out the 5th plague the wicked see the person claiming to be God isn’t their God, for God wouldn’t destroy His own throne. Their deceiver is satan himself.
The 6th plague is the battle called Armageddon.
Revelation16: 16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon. Not one saint will die here.
The 7th angel announces the coming of Jesus.
16:17 And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air, and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.
Revelation 16:18 And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.
The wicked people of earth cry out:
Revelation 6:16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
6:17 For the great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
Revelation16:19 And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath.
16:20 And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.
16:21 And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.
Man still in the end denies the authority of God.
2Thessalonians 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming:
The great hail that falls upon the earth at the coming of Christ can be compared to the fiery hail that fell during the 1st trumpet. The difference is in the devastation and size. During the 1st trumpet 1/3 of the earth, grass and tress are burned up. The hail of the 7th plague burns Babylon up.
Revelation 19:20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
19:21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of Him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of His mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.
The rider is none other than the King of Kings!
Rev 19:11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He doth judge and make war.
19:12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns; and He had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
19:13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and His name is called The Word of God.
19:14 And the armies which were in heaven followed Him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
19:15 And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and He treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
19:16 And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
The saints will then be taken to heaven!
1Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Revelation 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
20:5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
Satan and his army will be defeated at the Second Coming and the saints return to heaven with King Jesus for 1,000 years. The saints will determine the punishment of the wicked. The saints will then descend within the New Jerusalem to the Earth to live with Christ for eternity.
Our prayer is that you will accept Jesus Christ as your Savior TODAY and learn to live by faith in Him. He is trustworthy. It is His wish and ours that no one would have to face this final wrath.
Friday, August 21, 2009
The Seven Churches and The Overcomers
The messages to the 7 Churches were given to John around 95 AD. These 7 churches in Asia all existed at the same time in John's day. It is important that we realize these messages are timeless. They may not be in the same place or with the same people but they remain just the same. They represent the body of believers in Christ!
The condemnations and the promises that Jesus gave to each church still stand. They are timeless because the problems with sin still exist within the church today. In fact, Jesus concludes His message to each church saying, "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." Who is the church, is it a building or a denomination? No, it is every believer. Each of us that have accepted Christ. The church is not a place we go to worship; it is all the children of God. 1Co 3:9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.
The 7 churches are not numbered one through seven and they are not sequential or chronological in order. They are not apocalyptic and they do not represent seven time periods since the ascension of Jesus. They all existed at the same time in John's day and they still exist today.
We need to notice what Jesus said to each church and see, which church applies to our own experience in the Lord. Notice what Jesus says to each church.
1. Ephesus: Rev 2:4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
Rev 2:7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
2. Smyrna: Rev 2:9 I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. 10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.
Rev 2:11 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.
3. Pergamum: Rev 2:14 But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. See Numbers 22-24 (Balaam style refers to immoral sins committed with heathen who don't know better.)
Rev 2:17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.
4. Thyatira: Rev 2:20 Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols Compare with 1 Kings 21 and 2 Kings 9 (This refers to sins committed within the church by those knowing better)
Rev 2:26 And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:
5. Sardis: Rev 3:1 And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. 3:2 Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.
Rev 3:5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
6. Philadelphia: Rev 3:8 I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. 10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. 11 Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
Rev 3:12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.
7. Laodicea: Rev 3:15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
Rev 3:21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
What does it mean to overcome?
Strong's Concordance 3528 nikao {nik-ah'-o}
from 3529; TDNT - 4:942,634; v
AV - overcome 24, conquer 2, prevail 1, get the victory 1; 28
to conquer 1a) to carry off the victory, come off victorious 1a1) of Christ, victorious over all His foes 1a2) of Christians, that hold fast their faith even unto death against the power of their foes, and temptations and persecutions 1a3) when one is arraigned or goes to law, to win the case, maintain one's cause
Do you see that? God wants a people who have overcome their sins, they are victorious. He wants a pure and holy people to take with Him to heaven. He didn't say join the church and get baptized and go out and keep on sinning. He didn't say I know you can't help it and I don't care. If you are not happy here on earth overcoming your sins then you will not be happy in heaven! God will take no one to heaven that would not rather die than to sin. Do we not have enough faith in the power of God to help us overcome sin? Do we accept the doctrine of cheap grace taught by many that we cannot and do not have to overcome sin? By the shed blood of Christ we can overcome. But, before we can overcome anything we have to first acknowledge what is sin in our own lives and be willing for God to remove it.
Rom 6:2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
Rom 6:15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.
1Jo 4:4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.
We many times we overlook things in our lives that to God is SIN. We cannot overcome sin on our own. It must be Christ in us. In giving ourselves to Him DAILY, trusting Him to do the work in us and through us. Our part is laying down our lives to Him. Placing ourselves on the altar and allowing Him to work in us. I call it spiritual surgery and sometimes it hurts, but it is always with His love that He corrects us.
God will reveal your sin to you if you ask. He knows things within us that we might not even see ourselves. Remember the story of the rich man. Mat 19:16 And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? 17 . . . . but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. 18 . . . . Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,19 Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 20 The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? 21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. 22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.23 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
Now God didn't need this man's money. But God knew this man loved his money more than he loved God. God wants all of you and He will reveal to you things that are inside you. He knows the very depths of our heart and the sin within. Only then can He use you. He wants to do a work in you so you can be Jesus with skin on.
The devil wants you to disobey God and he will use whatever means works. It can even be done in the name of religion. There are those sitting in the pews now that have no idea what sin is. They believe as long as they go to church and do their duty and are baptized that is all that is necessary. Mat 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Rom 1:21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. These are those who claim to be religious. What is their problem? They have not done the will of God.
Mat 15:7 Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, 8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. 9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.10 And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand 11 Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.
Satan wants you to believe that you cannot overcome sin. And you can't in your own power because the flesh will win out every time.
What does God want?
Eph 4:22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. 26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: 27 Neither give place to the devil. 28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. 30 And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: 32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
Rev 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
There is a time and God only knows that time when we have rejected the prompting of the Holy Spirit to see truth and the sin in our lives. When that time has been reached God will turn one over to the devil. This is called the unpardonable sin. The heart is so harden that you do not hear God anymore. There is no guilt over sin. The work of the Holy Spirit is to lead us into all truth.
Rom 1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; 29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 Without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: 32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
Jo 3:4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. 5 And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.6 Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.7 Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. 8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. 9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. John is saying that no one who is walking in disobedience to God can be righteous. He even says that one who is not is of the devil. Strong words!
Does this mean we will never sin. No! But it is what we do with that sin. Do we stay in it or do we go to God and ask forgiveness and ask Him to help us overcome that sin. When we sin we have to lay Jesus aside. We cannot sin when Jesus is abiding in our heart. If we close Him out we will sin. It is always a matter of choice.
What is sin?
We cannot be good enough on our own to deserve salvation. No one can obey the commandments of God on his own. You cannot earn your way to heaven. Do not let any one tell you that you still have the assurance of salvation if you are walking in willful disobedience to God! This is a false doctrine. Truth faith in Christ will overcome sin. In God's sight it is non-negotiable. God didn't say, go to church and be baptized and go on sinning. John 8:11 . . . . And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Rom 14:23 And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.
1Co 6:18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.
1Co 8:12 But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ.
Jam 1:14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
James 4:17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.
Eph 4:26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:
Eph 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Heb 10:24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching 26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, 27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.
The Lord sends each of us people and circumstances to speak truth into our lives to bring us to Him. He speaks to our hearts, but if we willfully reject His drawing there is no sacrifice for our sins. We need to pay particular attention to this one. How often has God sent someone to you?
1Jo 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
1Jo 3:4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
What is the law? It is the Ten Commandments. Don't let anyone tell you they were nailed to the cross with Christ or that God changed one or left it out. This is a lie straight from hell.
1Jo 5:17 All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death.
Overcoming sin
Rom 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Rom 13:14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.
Eph 6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Jam 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Phi 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
Heb 11:25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;
We need to be constantly aware of what we say, what we do and what we watch. What we feed our mind and bodies have a direct effect on our hearts. We are His lips, hands and bodies. We the church represent Christ to others. How can we expect the world to be drawn to Christ if we act like the world?
1Jo 3:6 Whosoever abideth in Him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.
1Jo 5:4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. 5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
In Psalm 119:10 "For I have hidden Your Word in my heart that I do not sin against You".
We need to know the Scriptures and to apply them to our lives. We cannot know God if we do not know what He has to say. We need to keep in constant communion with Him to know His will and to ask Him to help us to overcome our sin. He forces know one.
The judgment and works
True faith in God will produce good works of obedience. Jam 2:26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
Many believe it is legalistic to say that we are judged by our works, but the Bible does not support this.
Rev 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
Our works do not save us, but they are evidence of the Holy Spirit abiding within us. Man cannot save himself by works of the flesh. Our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ will produce works.
The bottom line is if one has truly come to Christ, he will live a life of obedience. He will strive to overcome his sins and will not live in willful disobedience to the commandments of God.
Eph 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
There is not one thing that we might have to give up or go through on this earth that will even compare with what God has for each of us who overcomes. May we each be found among the overcomers when Jesus returns.
There's an important question. When will the promise to each church be given? Answer: When Jesus comes. This little point is very important. Rev 22:12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. We have the promise of salvation, but we will only receive it at the time of the Second Coming. Church it is time to take a stand. Christ will come for His church. Will you be among those He finds to have faith? Will you live eternally with HIM or will you be destroyed with satan?
Rev 6:17 For the great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
Luk 18:8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?
Heavenly Father how loving is Your chastening. I hunger to know more of You, Lord. In all times of temptation may I remember Your example. I praise You for Your Word, which tells me how I should live my life. Make my heart completely devoid of self so I may be filled with Your Spirit. There are times that I may slip once again into the mire. Cleanse and strengthen me for Jesus' sake.
Amen
The condemnations and the promises that Jesus gave to each church still stand. They are timeless because the problems with sin still exist within the church today. In fact, Jesus concludes His message to each church saying, "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." Who is the church, is it a building or a denomination? No, it is every believer. Each of us that have accepted Christ. The church is not a place we go to worship; it is all the children of God. 1Co 3:9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.
The 7 churches are not numbered one through seven and they are not sequential or chronological in order. They are not apocalyptic and they do not represent seven time periods since the ascension of Jesus. They all existed at the same time in John's day and they still exist today.
We need to notice what Jesus said to each church and see, which church applies to our own experience in the Lord. Notice what Jesus says to each church.
1. Ephesus: Rev 2:4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
Rev 2:7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
2. Smyrna: Rev 2:9 I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. 10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.
Rev 2:11 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.
3. Pergamum: Rev 2:14 But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. See Numbers 22-24 (Balaam style refers to immoral sins committed with heathen who don't know better.)
Rev 2:17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.
4. Thyatira: Rev 2:20 Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols Compare with 1 Kings 21 and 2 Kings 9 (This refers to sins committed within the church by those knowing better)
Rev 2:26 And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:
5. Sardis: Rev 3:1 And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. 3:2 Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.
Rev 3:5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
6. Philadelphia: Rev 3:8 I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. 10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. 11 Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
Rev 3:12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.
7. Laodicea: Rev 3:15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
Rev 3:21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
What does it mean to overcome?
Strong's Concordance 3528 nikao {nik-ah'-o}
from 3529; TDNT - 4:942,634; v
AV - overcome 24, conquer 2, prevail 1, get the victory 1; 28
to conquer 1a) to carry off the victory, come off victorious 1a1) of Christ, victorious over all His foes 1a2) of Christians, that hold fast their faith even unto death against the power of their foes, and temptations and persecutions 1a3) when one is arraigned or goes to law, to win the case, maintain one's cause
Do you see that? God wants a people who have overcome their sins, they are victorious. He wants a pure and holy people to take with Him to heaven. He didn't say join the church and get baptized and go out and keep on sinning. He didn't say I know you can't help it and I don't care. If you are not happy here on earth overcoming your sins then you will not be happy in heaven! God will take no one to heaven that would not rather die than to sin. Do we not have enough faith in the power of God to help us overcome sin? Do we accept the doctrine of cheap grace taught by many that we cannot and do not have to overcome sin? By the shed blood of Christ we can overcome. But, before we can overcome anything we have to first acknowledge what is sin in our own lives and be willing for God to remove it.
Rom 6:2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
Rom 6:15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.
1Jo 4:4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.
We many times we overlook things in our lives that to God is SIN. We cannot overcome sin on our own. It must be Christ in us. In giving ourselves to Him DAILY, trusting Him to do the work in us and through us. Our part is laying down our lives to Him. Placing ourselves on the altar and allowing Him to work in us. I call it spiritual surgery and sometimes it hurts, but it is always with His love that He corrects us.
God will reveal your sin to you if you ask. He knows things within us that we might not even see ourselves. Remember the story of the rich man. Mat 19:16 And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? 17 . . . . but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. 18 . . . . Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,19 Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 20 The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? 21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. 22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.23 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
Now God didn't need this man's money. But God knew this man loved his money more than he loved God. God wants all of you and He will reveal to you things that are inside you. He knows the very depths of our heart and the sin within. Only then can He use you. He wants to do a work in you so you can be Jesus with skin on.
The devil wants you to disobey God and he will use whatever means works. It can even be done in the name of religion. There are those sitting in the pews now that have no idea what sin is. They believe as long as they go to church and do their duty and are baptized that is all that is necessary. Mat 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Rom 1:21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. These are those who claim to be religious. What is their problem? They have not done the will of God.
Mat 15:7 Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, 8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. 9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.10 And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand 11 Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.
Satan wants you to believe that you cannot overcome sin. And you can't in your own power because the flesh will win out every time.
What does God want?
Eph 4:22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. 26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: 27 Neither give place to the devil. 28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. 30 And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: 32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
Rev 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
There is a time and God only knows that time when we have rejected the prompting of the Holy Spirit to see truth and the sin in our lives. When that time has been reached God will turn one over to the devil. This is called the unpardonable sin. The heart is so harden that you do not hear God anymore. There is no guilt over sin. The work of the Holy Spirit is to lead us into all truth.
Rom 1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; 29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 Without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: 32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
Jo 3:4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. 5 And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.6 Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.7 Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. 8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. 9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. John is saying that no one who is walking in disobedience to God can be righteous. He even says that one who is not is of the devil. Strong words!
Does this mean we will never sin. No! But it is what we do with that sin. Do we stay in it or do we go to God and ask forgiveness and ask Him to help us overcome that sin. When we sin we have to lay Jesus aside. We cannot sin when Jesus is abiding in our heart. If we close Him out we will sin. It is always a matter of choice.
What is sin?
We cannot be good enough on our own to deserve salvation. No one can obey the commandments of God on his own. You cannot earn your way to heaven. Do not let any one tell you that you still have the assurance of salvation if you are walking in willful disobedience to God! This is a false doctrine. Truth faith in Christ will overcome sin. In God's sight it is non-negotiable. God didn't say, go to church and be baptized and go on sinning. John 8:11 . . . . And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Rom 14:23 And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.
1Co 6:18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.
1Co 8:12 But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ.
Jam 1:14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
James 4:17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.
Eph 4:26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:
Eph 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Heb 10:24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching 26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, 27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.
The Lord sends each of us people and circumstances to speak truth into our lives to bring us to Him. He speaks to our hearts, but if we willfully reject His drawing there is no sacrifice for our sins. We need to pay particular attention to this one. How often has God sent someone to you?
1Jo 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
1Jo 3:4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
What is the law? It is the Ten Commandments. Don't let anyone tell you they were nailed to the cross with Christ or that God changed one or left it out. This is a lie straight from hell.
1Jo 5:17 All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death.
Overcoming sin
Rom 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Rom 13:14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.
Eph 6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Jam 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Phi 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
Heb 11:25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;
We need to be constantly aware of what we say, what we do and what we watch. What we feed our mind and bodies have a direct effect on our hearts. We are His lips, hands and bodies. We the church represent Christ to others. How can we expect the world to be drawn to Christ if we act like the world?
1Jo 3:6 Whosoever abideth in Him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.
1Jo 5:4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. 5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
In Psalm 119:10 "For I have hidden Your Word in my heart that I do not sin against You".
We need to know the Scriptures and to apply them to our lives. We cannot know God if we do not know what He has to say. We need to keep in constant communion with Him to know His will and to ask Him to help us to overcome our sin. He forces know one.
The judgment and works
True faith in God will produce good works of obedience. Jam 2:26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
Many believe it is legalistic to say that we are judged by our works, but the Bible does not support this.
Rev 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
Our works do not save us, but they are evidence of the Holy Spirit abiding within us. Man cannot save himself by works of the flesh. Our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ will produce works.
The bottom line is if one has truly come to Christ, he will live a life of obedience. He will strive to overcome his sins and will not live in willful disobedience to the commandments of God.
Eph 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
There is not one thing that we might have to give up or go through on this earth that will even compare with what God has for each of us who overcomes. May we each be found among the overcomers when Jesus returns.
There's an important question. When will the promise to each church be given? Answer: When Jesus comes. This little point is very important. Rev 22:12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. We have the promise of salvation, but we will only receive it at the time of the Second Coming. Church it is time to take a stand. Christ will come for His church. Will you be among those He finds to have faith? Will you live eternally with HIM or will you be destroyed with satan?
Rev 6:17 For the great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
Luk 18:8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?
Heavenly Father how loving is Your chastening. I hunger to know more of You, Lord. In all times of temptation may I remember Your example. I praise You for Your Word, which tells me how I should live my life. Make my heart completely devoid of self so I may be filled with Your Spirit. There are times that I may slip once again into the mire. Cleanse and strengthen me for Jesus' sake.
Amen
Thursday, August 13, 2009
The Four Winds of Revelation 7
Rev 7:1 And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. 2 AndI saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, 3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.
Some try to symbolize these verses or claim that they have happened in the past. When the 144,000 are sealed the 4 winds will let go and they will harm the land, sea and trees. The destruction that comes pertains to the sealing of the 144,000. We are not left to guess what will happen. These are literally 144,000 Elijah like people and the 4 winds will be let go after they have been sealed. The 144,000 servants of God have to understand what God is doing.
John describes the judgments that will fall upon the earth when the 144,000 are ready to do their work. These are 144,000 literal people and there are four literal events.
The four winds is a metaphor. A metaphor is a figure of speech in which a term or phrase is applied to something to which it is not literally applicable, in order to suggest a resemblance, as in "A mighty fortress is our God".
These are literal events. If they are symbolic then there must be scripture to tell us what they mean.
Rules of Interpretation
1. All apocalyptic prophecies are identified by the presence of both, a beginning and ending point in time, and elements
within each prophecy are given in chronological order.
2. A fulfillment of apocalyptic prophecy, or progression towards fulfillment, only occurs when all specifications of the
prophecy or its elements are met - including chronological order.
3. Symbols can only be interpreted with relevant scripture.
The four winds are contained in the 4th seal.
Rev 6:7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. 8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth. (KJV) The NAS
translates And I looked, and behold an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades (grave) was following with him. And authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts.
The four winds are the four judgments of God. Notice that they will affect 25% of the world's population. We have left God with no other choice than to send His judgments upon the earth to reach people with the message of salvation and His coming. Have you ever noticed how people will turn to God in adversity whether it is in their personal lives or as a nation? God has been holding back His judgments until the 144,000 are ready to go to work. These judgments are not symbolic and they have not yet occurred.
There are more than 100 references in the Bible of these judgments and not once are they symbolic. There is no scripture to explain if they are symbolic. If the events John describes are literal in chapter 16 then they are literal in chapter 6.
Rev 6:12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; 13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. The sixth seal takes place at the Second Coming. Are the things that John describes symbolic or are they literal?
Rev 16:8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. This is the 4th plague. Is it symbolic?
Rev 21:23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the
Lamb is the light thereof. 25 And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there. Having no need of a sun, is this symbolic?
The first time these judgments are recorded is in Deuteronomy. Deu 32:24 They shall be burnt with hunger, and devoured with burning heat, and with bitter destruction: I will also send the teeth of beasts upon them, with the poison of serpents of the dust.
25 The sword without, and terror within, shall destroy both the young man and the virgin, the suckling also with the man of gray hairs. Are these symbolic or are they literal judgments of God?
Eze 14:21 For thus saith the Lord GOD; How much more when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the noisome beast, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast? Are these symbolic or literal?
The seven trumpets will sound and they are the effects of the four winds or judgments. Look at the first four trumpets. Are these symbolic or are they literal events. When in history have these events taken place?
Rev 8:7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the
third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up. 8 And the second angelsounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; 9 And the third part of the creatures which were
in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed. 10 And the third angel sounded, and there fell a greatstar from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; 11 And
the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters,
because they were made bitter. 12 And the fourth angelsounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.
The trumpets are literal. There is no Scripture to explain if the are symbolic. The first four trumpets will be global manifestations
of God's wrath and nowhere in recorded history have they happened. The rules must be followed to have an accurate interpretation.
Each must have occurred in chronological order and every specification of each must be met.
The book of Luke tells us what will happen in the last days.
Luk 21:23 But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people.Luk 21:25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and
in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; This is the result of the 4 judgments and their effects upon the earth and its people. It means exactly what it says and is not written in symbolic language. The trumpets will cause disease and sickness, food shortages because of the lack of sun and because of the many fires that are started with the asteroids. The water will become contaminated because of the earth shifting and wild beasts are anything that is pestiferous. Think of even your family pet when it has nothing to eat. Volcanoes will erupt and the earth will be in darknessin many places.
2Ti 3:1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
Saints we are headed for times that your faith will be tested as never before. Are you ready? Have you truly given your life to Jesus?
Are you willing to Go Be and Do all that He asks of you? It is easy to say you have faith now but when the going gets rough it will be
all that you have is your faith! Trust Him now for He loves you beyond anything you can imagine. It will be your time to prove your
love for Him. Your reward will be great.
1Pe 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.
Some try to symbolize these verses or claim that they have happened in the past. When the 144,000 are sealed the 4 winds will let go and they will harm the land, sea and trees. The destruction that comes pertains to the sealing of the 144,000. We are not left to guess what will happen. These are literally 144,000 Elijah like people and the 4 winds will be let go after they have been sealed. The 144,000 servants of God have to understand what God is doing.
John describes the judgments that will fall upon the earth when the 144,000 are ready to do their work. These are 144,000 literal people and there are four literal events.
The four winds is a metaphor. A metaphor is a figure of speech in which a term or phrase is applied to something to which it is not literally applicable, in order to suggest a resemblance, as in "A mighty fortress is our God".
These are literal events. If they are symbolic then there must be scripture to tell us what they mean.
Rules of Interpretation
1. All apocalyptic prophecies are identified by the presence of both, a beginning and ending point in time, and elements
within each prophecy are given in chronological order.
2. A fulfillment of apocalyptic prophecy, or progression towards fulfillment, only occurs when all specifications of the
prophecy or its elements are met - including chronological order.
3. Symbols can only be interpreted with relevant scripture.
The four winds are contained in the 4th seal.
Rev 6:7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. 8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth. (KJV) The NAS
translates And I looked, and behold an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades (grave) was following with him. And authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts.
The four winds are the four judgments of God. Notice that they will affect 25% of the world's population. We have left God with no other choice than to send His judgments upon the earth to reach people with the message of salvation and His coming. Have you ever noticed how people will turn to God in adversity whether it is in their personal lives or as a nation? God has been holding back His judgments until the 144,000 are ready to go to work. These judgments are not symbolic and they have not yet occurred.
There are more than 100 references in the Bible of these judgments and not once are they symbolic. There is no scripture to explain if they are symbolic. If the events John describes are literal in chapter 16 then they are literal in chapter 6.
Rev 6:12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; 13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. The sixth seal takes place at the Second Coming. Are the things that John describes symbolic or are they literal?
Rev 16:8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. This is the 4th plague. Is it symbolic?
Rev 21:23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the
Lamb is the light thereof. 25 And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there. Having no need of a sun, is this symbolic?
The first time these judgments are recorded is in Deuteronomy. Deu 32:24 They shall be burnt with hunger, and devoured with burning heat, and with bitter destruction: I will also send the teeth of beasts upon them, with the poison of serpents of the dust.
25 The sword without, and terror within, shall destroy both the young man and the virgin, the suckling also with the man of gray hairs. Are these symbolic or are they literal judgments of God?
Eze 14:21 For thus saith the Lord GOD; How much more when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the noisome beast, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast? Are these symbolic or literal?
The seven trumpets will sound and they are the effects of the four winds or judgments. Look at the first four trumpets. Are these symbolic or are they literal events. When in history have these events taken place?
Rev 8:7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the
third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up. 8 And the second angelsounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; 9 And the third part of the creatures which were
in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed. 10 And the third angel sounded, and there fell a greatstar from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; 11 And
the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters,
because they were made bitter. 12 And the fourth angelsounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.
The trumpets are literal. There is no Scripture to explain if the are symbolic. The first four trumpets will be global manifestations
of God's wrath and nowhere in recorded history have they happened. The rules must be followed to have an accurate interpretation.
Each must have occurred in chronological order and every specification of each must be met.
The book of Luke tells us what will happen in the last days.
Luk 21:23 But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people.Luk 21:25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and
in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; This is the result of the 4 judgments and their effects upon the earth and its people. It means exactly what it says and is not written in symbolic language. The trumpets will cause disease and sickness, food shortages because of the lack of sun and because of the many fires that are started with the asteroids. The water will become contaminated because of the earth shifting and wild beasts are anything that is pestiferous. Think of even your family pet when it has nothing to eat. Volcanoes will erupt and the earth will be in darknessin many places.
2Ti 3:1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
Saints we are headed for times that your faith will be tested as never before. Are you ready? Have you truly given your life to Jesus?
Are you willing to Go Be and Do all that He asks of you? It is easy to say you have faith now but when the going gets rough it will be
all that you have is your faith! Trust Him now for He loves you beyond anything you can imagine. It will be your time to prove your
love for Him. Your reward will be great.
1Pe 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.
Friday, July 31, 2009
The Four Beasts of Revelation
We hear so much about who the Antichrist is. There are many differences of opinions, but the most important thing we need to know is what the Antichrist does and how to recognize him. The Bible clearly says that he would even deceive the very elect. We need to study everything the Bible says about him as well as his government. He will come as an angel of light and he knows Scripture better than most of us. He will not be what he appears to be and that is God. No one knows the identity of the Antichrist. If we all knew then there would be no need to study and that is exactly what Satan is depending upon. He is the master of deception.
There are 4 beasts mentioned in the book of Revelation.
The Lamb (Jesus the Lamb of God)
The Lamb-like
Dragon
Dragon-like
The Dragon The identity of the Dragon is easily seen when we look to the Bible.
Revelation 12:3-4 And another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems. And his tail swept away a third of the stars (angels) of heaven, and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman (church, God's people) who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child. (Jesus).
Verse 7 And there was war in heaven, Michael (Jesus) and his angels waging war with the dragon. And the dragon and his angels waged war.
Verse 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
There is no question as to who the Dragon is. He is Satan, Lucifer, the Devil. The Dragon is at war with Jesus and this war is over the people of God. Read the entire chapter of Revelation 12 to see this war and what it is about.
Who is the Dragon-like beast? Babylon. The word Babylon means confusion and that is exactly what it will be. This beast will have power for 42 months.
Revelation 13:1 And he stood on the sand of the seashore. And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns were ten diadems, and on his heads were blasphemous names. The blasphemous names on the heads indicate that they are religious in nature. Webster's dictionary says to speak of or address something sacred esp. God impiously or irreverently. In other words these names are religious in nature and they speak against God. The diadems on the horns represent the crown of authority. You will notice that this beast comes out of sea. Waters mean people's in the Bible. The number seven means complete spiritually. The number ten is complete politically.
This beast is not the dragon. This beast is made up of kingdoms represented by the lion, bear, leopard and the terrible beast found in Daniel 7. In Daniel 7:12 "As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but an extension of life was granted to them for an appointed period of time. In other words their descendents remain. This is a confederation of global powers, which is Babylon.
In Revelation 13:2 And the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority. Imagine a glove. If I hold out the glove it is motionless on it's own. But if I place the glove on my hand, it now has life. I can move it and make it do what I want. This is exactly what is happening here. The glove is Babylon and the hand inside is Satan or the Dragon.
We learn that one of the heads has been wounded in Revelation 13:3 And I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain, and his fatal wound was healed. And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast and they worshiped the dragon, because he gave his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?" We know from history that this head is the Papacy. It was wounded in 1798 when General Berthier captured the Pope and Rome fell from power. We also know that Rome is quickly rising to power again.
If one of the heads is of a religious nature then the other heads must be the same for they are all coming off one body. So how do we identify the other heads? We find our answer in Revelation 17:9 "Here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits, and they are seven kings; five have fallen (exposed, or brought down), one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain a little while. In ancient times hills or mountains were used for places of worship or seen as the places where God dwells. People look up to these. They look for all the answers within their church, from their pastor. Even most laity have no idea where their beliefs actually originated.
When Jesus was born as a man the teachings of men were exposed as being false.
Five fallen
Heathenism- man creates his own gods
Atheism- denies the existence of God
Judaism- rejects that Jesus is the Messiah, seeking salvation through obedience
Eastern Mysticism- man can become God
Islam (Arabic faith)- denies Jesus being the Son of God
6. One is
In John's day the religious system was Christianity, what we now call Catholicism. Satan gained control of Christianity and it rose and fell and was proven false.
7. And one is yet to come
Protestantism was next on the scene. And comparatively speaking it is quite young. All the other religious systems are 20 or more centuries old.
So our heads are exposed. We now know who they are. These are the false religious systems of our world and the Papacy will bring these systems together in response to the devastation of the trumpets.
As you can see, the consolidation of all these religions will be confusing to say the least. This is why it is called Babylon. The Papacy will take the lead in establishing this union and it will make laws that will be severe in order to give honor to God. When Satan arrives he will merge these 7 systems into one great image. Revelation 13:14 And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who had the wound of the sword and has come to life. And there was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast might even speak and cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed. The saints will be severely persecuted during this time. They will need to completely submit their lives to our Lord and Savior. GOBEDO
Who is the lamb-like beast? This is the most powerful of all the beasts.
Revelation 13:11-12 And I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb and he spoke as a dragon. And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence. And he makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed.
In Revelation 17:8 "The beast that you saw was and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and to go to destruction. And those who dwell on the earth will wonder, whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast, that he was and is not and will come. 17:11 "And the beast which was and is not, is himself also the eighth, which is one of the seven, and he goes to destruction. Now what does this mean? If you will insert the word visible, the meaning becomes clearer. The beast that you saw was visible and is not visible and is about to come up out of the abyss. Do you see now!
Lucifer, the Devil, Satan, is an angel. He has been confined to the spiritual realm (invisible), but he is going to be allowed to come up out of the abyss and assume the body of a man (visible). Just as Jesus came to earth as a man, Satan will also be a man. He will have a physical body and he will perform miracles and convince many that he is God.
We do not know the name Satan will use, the Bible again does not tell us. We know that his name will be associated with the number of 666. Many are pointing at different individuals such as the Pope, Kissinger and many others. We need to be more concerned with what Satan does and how he is going to do it so that we will recognize him when he comes. We will not be deceived if we have studied the prophecies. Satan loves it when we look at certain individuals so that it might take our eyes off who he may really be. We will know him no matter what. We also do not know the name that Jesus has been given upon His return. The Bible does not tell us, we only know He will receive a new name. If we knew His name then Satan would know it too and he would use that name when he comes.
2 Thessalonians 2:3 Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.
Another thing thing that is important to mention is that many are not prepared for is the timing of Satan's arrival. The world will be in such chaos that many will be looking to anyone who has the answers to what is going on. Satan's timely arrival will be during the 5th trumpet. This earth will be in such destruction that many will even welcome his coming as God from the clouds. He will perform many miracles so as to convince people he is God. He will be a dynamic person, remember he was the most beautiful angel in heaven so he will have a personality that will draw people to him in the beginning.
Always remember that Jesus never touches the earth when He returns for His saints. Satan will be seen in many places on the earth many times. Yet he will come from the clouds just as Jesus. The Bible tells us that every eye will see Jesus' return. Satan cannot be seen by all at the same time. By the way, Jesus doesn't need TV either to be seen.
Our prayer is that you will study the prophecies so you will not be deceived.
There are 4 beasts mentioned in the book of Revelation.
The Lamb (Jesus the Lamb of God)
The Lamb-like
Dragon
Dragon-like
The Dragon The identity of the Dragon is easily seen when we look to the Bible.
Revelation 12:3-4 And another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems. And his tail swept away a third of the stars (angels) of heaven, and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman (church, God's people) who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child. (Jesus).
Verse 7 And there was war in heaven, Michael (Jesus) and his angels waging war with the dragon. And the dragon and his angels waged war.
Verse 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
There is no question as to who the Dragon is. He is Satan, Lucifer, the Devil. The Dragon is at war with Jesus and this war is over the people of God. Read the entire chapter of Revelation 12 to see this war and what it is about.
Who is the Dragon-like beast? Babylon. The word Babylon means confusion and that is exactly what it will be. This beast will have power for 42 months.
Revelation 13:1 And he stood on the sand of the seashore. And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns were ten diadems, and on his heads were blasphemous names. The blasphemous names on the heads indicate that they are religious in nature. Webster's dictionary says to speak of or address something sacred esp. God impiously or irreverently. In other words these names are religious in nature and they speak against God. The diadems on the horns represent the crown of authority. You will notice that this beast comes out of sea. Waters mean people's in the Bible. The number seven means complete spiritually. The number ten is complete politically.
This beast is not the dragon. This beast is made up of kingdoms represented by the lion, bear, leopard and the terrible beast found in Daniel 7. In Daniel 7:12 "As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but an extension of life was granted to them for an appointed period of time. In other words their descendents remain. This is a confederation of global powers, which is Babylon.
In Revelation 13:2 And the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority. Imagine a glove. If I hold out the glove it is motionless on it's own. But if I place the glove on my hand, it now has life. I can move it and make it do what I want. This is exactly what is happening here. The glove is Babylon and the hand inside is Satan or the Dragon.
We learn that one of the heads has been wounded in Revelation 13:3 And I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain, and his fatal wound was healed. And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast and they worshiped the dragon, because he gave his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?" We know from history that this head is the Papacy. It was wounded in 1798 when General Berthier captured the Pope and Rome fell from power. We also know that Rome is quickly rising to power again.
If one of the heads is of a religious nature then the other heads must be the same for they are all coming off one body. So how do we identify the other heads? We find our answer in Revelation 17:9 "Here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits, and they are seven kings; five have fallen (exposed, or brought down), one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain a little while. In ancient times hills or mountains were used for places of worship or seen as the places where God dwells. People look up to these. They look for all the answers within their church, from their pastor. Even most laity have no idea where their beliefs actually originated.
When Jesus was born as a man the teachings of men were exposed as being false.
Five fallen
Heathenism- man creates his own gods
Atheism- denies the existence of God
Judaism- rejects that Jesus is the Messiah, seeking salvation through obedience
Eastern Mysticism- man can become God
Islam (Arabic faith)- denies Jesus being the Son of God
6. One is
In John's day the religious system was Christianity, what we now call Catholicism. Satan gained control of Christianity and it rose and fell and was proven false.
7. And one is yet to come
Protestantism was next on the scene. And comparatively speaking it is quite young. All the other religious systems are 20 or more centuries old.
So our heads are exposed. We now know who they are. These are the false religious systems of our world and the Papacy will bring these systems together in response to the devastation of the trumpets.
As you can see, the consolidation of all these religions will be confusing to say the least. This is why it is called Babylon. The Papacy will take the lead in establishing this union and it will make laws that will be severe in order to give honor to God. When Satan arrives he will merge these 7 systems into one great image. Revelation 13:14 And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who had the wound of the sword and has come to life. And there was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast might even speak and cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed. The saints will be severely persecuted during this time. They will need to completely submit their lives to our Lord and Savior. GOBEDO
Who is the lamb-like beast? This is the most powerful of all the beasts.
Revelation 13:11-12 And I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb and he spoke as a dragon. And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence. And he makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed.
In Revelation 17:8 "The beast that you saw was and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and to go to destruction. And those who dwell on the earth will wonder, whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast, that he was and is not and will come. 17:11 "And the beast which was and is not, is himself also the eighth, which is one of the seven, and he goes to destruction. Now what does this mean? If you will insert the word visible, the meaning becomes clearer. The beast that you saw was visible and is not visible and is about to come up out of the abyss. Do you see now!
Lucifer, the Devil, Satan, is an angel. He has been confined to the spiritual realm (invisible), but he is going to be allowed to come up out of the abyss and assume the body of a man (visible). Just as Jesus came to earth as a man, Satan will also be a man. He will have a physical body and he will perform miracles and convince many that he is God.
We do not know the name Satan will use, the Bible again does not tell us. We know that his name will be associated with the number of 666. Many are pointing at different individuals such as the Pope, Kissinger and many others. We need to be more concerned with what Satan does and how he is going to do it so that we will recognize him when he comes. We will not be deceived if we have studied the prophecies. Satan loves it when we look at certain individuals so that it might take our eyes off who he may really be. We will know him no matter what. We also do not know the name that Jesus has been given upon His return. The Bible does not tell us, we only know He will receive a new name. If we knew His name then Satan would know it too and he would use that name when he comes.
2 Thessalonians 2:3 Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.
Another thing thing that is important to mention is that many are not prepared for is the timing of Satan's arrival. The world will be in such chaos that many will be looking to anyone who has the answers to what is going on. Satan's timely arrival will be during the 5th trumpet. This earth will be in such destruction that many will even welcome his coming as God from the clouds. He will perform many miracles so as to convince people he is God. He will be a dynamic person, remember he was the most beautiful angel in heaven so he will have a personality that will draw people to him in the beginning.
Always remember that Jesus never touches the earth when He returns for His saints. Satan will be seen in many places on the earth many times. Yet he will come from the clouds just as Jesus. The Bible tells us that every eye will see Jesus' return. Satan cannot be seen by all at the same time. By the way, Jesus doesn't need TV either to be seen.
Our prayer is that you will study the prophecies so you will not be deceived.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
The Two Witnesses of Revelation 11
The story of the 2 witnesses is one that is not easily understood. Much of the language is allegorical. We apply for understanding the 3rd rule of interpretation: Symbols can only be interpreted with relevant Scripture.
The story actually begins in chapter 10 and continues through Revelation 11. The original Greek manuscripts were not in chapter, there is no break between Revelation 10 and 11. The book of Revelation is not in chronological order, but each event or story is in order. If you try to read it in order you will not be able to understand it.
Read the entire chapters of Revelation 10 and 11.
We read in Revelation 10:8-11 And the voice which I heard from heaven, I heard again speaking with me, and saying, "Go, take the book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the land." And I went to the angel, telling him to give me the little book. And he said to me, "Take it, and eat it; and it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey; and when I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter. And they said to me," you must prophesy again concerning many peoples and nations and tongues and kings. These verses are saying that the message is sweet to take in but the experience is bitter and that the message will have to be given again.
See a close parallel in Ezekiel 2 and 3.
Notice that the book is open. Whatever is in the book is fully exposed. This book contains the final unsealing of the book of Daniel. It is an understanding of what God is about to do, an understanding of the books of Daniel and Revelation. Many will not be able to understand because this is not what they have always believed. Since this book has not been fully exposed, NO ONE has had a full understanding no matter what they have believed or have been taught. We cannot have closed minds to new understanding or we will miss what God is revealing. God sealed this little book until it came to time for understanding. Prophecy is only understood ON OR ABOUT THE TIME OF FULFILLMENT.
Revelation 11: 1-2 And there was given me a measuring rod like a staff; and someone said, "Rise and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and those who worship in it. And leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the nations; and they will tread under foot the holy city for forty two months. And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth. The measuring of the temple is referring to those who have heard the gospel, the church. The shaking will begin with the church because they have had the opportunity to hear truth. Remnant one will be gathered from this shaking. He is told not to measure the outer court, these are those whom are not saved and have not had the opportunity to hear God’s truth. Many will be brought to Him during the 7 trumpets, remnant two. And the dragon was enraged with the woman (church), and went off to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. Revelation 12:17 God has many people, but those who do not accept His truth will trample God’s people for 42 literal months.
It takes 2 witnesses to condemn a man. A single witness shall not rise up against a man on account of any iniquity or any sin which he has committed; on the evidence of two or three witnesses a matter shall be confirmed. Deuteronomy 19:15 The Bible is clear that it takes two witnesses. A man must reject both before he can be sentenced to death. Some at first may reject the Word (Bible) but may be convicted by the Holy Spirit. To be sentenced to Eternal death he must reject both. This is the unpardonable sin, blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.
Verse 3: And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth." Sackcloth refers to distressing times and they will prophesy for 1,260 literal days.
Verse 4: These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. What do the 2 lampstands represent? Here we can identify as to who the 2 witnesses are. Many believe these 2 witnesses to be Moses and Elijah or Enoch. There are no scriptures that identify Moses and Elijah or any 2 men as to being 2 lampstands or 2 olive trees. Nothing connects these as 2 men. The Bible MUST interpret itself.
The 2 Witnesses are:
Witness #1 is two Lampstands = OT/ NT= The Bible = God’s Word.
Witness #2 is two olive trees = Early/Latter Rain = work of the Holy Spirit
Reading in Zechariah 4:2-6 And he said to me, "What do you see?" And I said, "I see, and behold a lampstand all of gold with its bowl on the top of it, and its seven lamps on it with seven spouts belonging to each of the lamps which are on the top of it: also two olive trees by it, one on the right side of the bowl and the other on its left side." Then I answered and said to the angel who was speaking with me saying, "What are these, my lord"? So the angel who was speaking with me answered and said to me, "This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel saying, "Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of hosts .
In Zechariah’s day in the wilderness sanctuary the priest would fill the seven (complete) lamps in the temple every morning and evening with oil each day to keep them burning. There was one lampstand with 7 lights. The lampstand in the wilderness sanctuary represented God’s means of spreading His Word. God’s agency was His chosen people. They were to carry the Gospel to the Gentiles. "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Matthew 5:14 ……And I will appoint you as a covenant to the people, As a light to the nations." "For thus the Lord has commanded us, I have placed you as a light for the Gentiles, that you should bring salvation to the end of the earth. Isaiah 42:6 But in his vision God wanted Zechariah to understand that the light of His truth was not dependant on human means, but by His Spirit. God power, not man power. The 2 living trees are the work of the Holy Spirit. This is confirmed throughout the book of Zechariah. There are 2 trees because there are 2 works of the Holy Spirit, the early and latter rain.
Zechariah becomes more insistent. And in verse 11-14: And I answered the second time and said to him, "What are the two olive branches which are beside the two golden pipes, which empty the golden oil from themselves?’ So he answered me saying, "do you not know what these are?" And I said, "No, my lord." Then he said, "These are the two anointed ones, who are standing by the Lord of the whole earth." The Bible (His Word) and the Holy Spirit. Thy word is a lamp to my feet, And a light to my path. Psalm 119:105
In John’s vision in Revelation we see another important transition. John saw 7 lampstands instead of one. And I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands and in the middle of the lampstand one like a son of man…..Revelation 1:12-13. God had turned from the physical nation of Israel (1 lampstand) as His chosen agency and turned to the 7 Churches as His means to carry the gospel. God appointed an angel to each church to help keep it’s light burning. "As for the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands; The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches. Revelation 1:20.
At the time of the 2 witnesses we see, yet another transition. Instead of 7 lampstands that are now 2 lampstands standing before the Lord, but the 2 olive trees are unchanged.
God will select 144,000 bondservants, prophets from spiritual Israel who will go forth in the power of Elijah. These will be both men and women. "And it will come about after this That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and daughter will prophesy, Your old men will dream dreams, Your young men will see visions. And even on the male and female servants. I will pour out My Spirit in those days. Joel 2:28-29 The 2 lampstands are the means that will give the 144,000 credibility. They will be empowered by the 2 witnesses that will testify to the truth that they give. God will light up the whole world with His truth and they will be filled with Holy Spirit power.
The 144,000 will give the final prophetic message from the little book that was open in Revelation 10 that John ate. The message is the unsealing of Daniel, the Old Testament, and Revelation the New Testament.
Witness 1 2 lampstands = OT/NT = Bible
Witness 2 2 olive trees = Early/Latter Rain = Ministry of the Holy Spirit
We read in verse 5 of Revelation 11:5: And if anyone desires to harm them, fire proceeds out of their mouth and devours their enemies; and if anyone would desire to harm them, in this manner he must be killed. I read in one book on Revelation that these 2 witnesses literally blow fire like dragons out of their mouths. This is an allegory. We read in Revelation 19:15 And from His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may smite the nations; and he will rule them with a rod of iron; and he treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. Now is an actual sword going to come down to earth out of the Lord’s mouth. We are speaking figuratively. The sword is the Word of God. God will speak and whatever words He uses, you can bet they will stop people dead in their tracks. His Word is powerful! For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12 The fire that comes out of the mouths of the 144,000, just as the sword is figurative. The fire that comes out of their mouths refers to the final reward to those who reject the Salvation of Jesus. They will die by fire!
Verse 6: These have the power to shut up the sky, in order that rain may not fall during the days of their prophesying; and they have power over the water to turn them into blood, and to smite the earth with every plague, as often as they desire. The 144,000 Elijah-like people will have supernatural powers to bring credibility to their message. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain; and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. James 5:17
Verse 7: And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the abyss will make war with them, and overcome them and kill them. Now you ask, how can you kill the Bible and the Holy Spirit? Having finished their work, Satan will lead the world into open rebellion against God and His people. The world will commit the unpardonable sin, they will reject the Holy Spirit. The message of the 2 Witnesses and the 144,000 will be made of no effect and therefore their influence is killed. Everyone will have made his decision and taken the mark of the beast. God’s people will run for their lives to the shelter of Almighty God. Not one saint will parish from this time on as there would be no point because everyone has made his decision.
Verse 8: And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which mystically is called Sodom and Egypt where also their Lord was crucified. The KJV translates mystically as spiritually.
What is this great city? In ancient times a city was sometimes represented as a group of people rather than a geographical location. Read chapter 17 of Revelation.
In verse 18 we read: "And the woman whom you saw is the great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth." The great city is the woman, the harlot, BABYLON THE GREAT. The Harlot represents the global union of church and state and Sodom and Egypt represents the condition of the world at that time. Sodom represents unrestrained evil like Sodom and Gomorrah. Egypt represents hardness of heart like Pharaoh. The world will commit the unpardonable sin as everyone will have made his decision and will be a citizen of Babylon the Great or the New Jerusalem. Satan will have convinced the wicked that the 2 witnesses, the 144,000 and God’s people, have caused all the judgments coming upon them. The people of God will run for their lives just as Elijah did from Jezebel after Mt Carmel. The condition of the world is just as it was when Christ was crucified.
You can think of the place where Jesus was crucified as a just a city with walls or the people. We read in Zechariah 2:1-4 Then I lifted up my eyes and looked, and behold, there was a man with a measuring line in his hand. So I said, "Where are you going?" And he said to me, "To measure Jerusalem, to see how wide it is and how long it is." And behold, the angel who was speaking with me was going out, and another angel was coming out to meet him, and said to him, "Run, speak to that young man, saying, Jerusalem will be inhabited without walls, because of the multitude of men and cattle within it. ‘For I,’ declares the Lord, ‘will be a wall of fire around her, and I will be the glory in her midst." Jerusalem, the Holy City is not just a geographical location, but the people who look for the Holy City when God will give them the New Jerusalem. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. Revelation 21:2
Verse 9-10: And those from the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will look at their dead bodies for three and a half days, and will not permit their dead bodies be laid in a tomb. And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry; and they will send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth. Now how can the 2 witnesses have bodies? See a parallel in Esther 9:18. Those who have accepted God’s truth will pull together forming small bodies of peoples. Satan will declare a universal death decree upon the people of God and the agreement date will be 3 ½ days before the sentence is actually carried out. The wicked know that these who have brought such misery on their lives are just as good as dead. The people are not buried because they are not dead yet although many of God’s people will die under the 5th seal. These are the martyrs and many of the 144,000 that are killed. Satan will not allow their bodies to be buried.
Verse 11 And after the three and a half days the breath of life from God came into them, and they stood on their feet; and great fear fell upon those who were beholding them. There will be 1,290 days from the time of the casting down of the censer (Revelation 8:2-5) to the time that the universal death decree is to be enacted, but God will rescue His people before the sentence is carried out. Jesus will announce the deliverance of His people. "And from the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. How blessed is he who keeps waiting and attains to the 1,335 days! Daniel 12:11-12
A thousand may fall at our side, And ten thousand at your right hand; But it shall not approach you. You will only look on with your eyes, And see the recompense of the wicked. Psalms 91:7-8
Verse 12 And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, "Come up here." And they went up into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies beheld them. There is a special resurrection of all the martyrs who died under the 5th seal and the 144,000. Jesus invites these to His 2nd coming. Imagine the horror of those who killed them when they see them emerging from their graves. Also included in this special resurrection are those who killed Him. All will see the return of Christ. Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. Even so. Amen. Revelation 1:7 Then the 144,000 Elijah people are taken to heaven before the gathering of the rest of the dead. …These have been purchased from among men as first fruits to God and to the Lamb. Revelation 14:4 These will return with Him at the second coming a few days later.
Verse 13 And in that hour there was a great earthquake and a tenth of the city fell; and seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven. None of God’s people are hurt at this time. The world is divided into 10 sectors ( ten horns) during the 6th trumpet war. One tenth of Babylon’s strongest sector, possibly satan’s staff will be killed. God’s people will be terrified but they rejoice in seeing these wicked ones being destroyed. It will take about 45 days to destroy Babylon. 1335-1290 = 45 days. Daniel 12:12 Satan and his evil followers will have time to contemplate their own destruction. …and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, ""Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?" Revelation 6:16-17
Verse 14-17 The second woe is past; behold, the third woe is coming quickly. And the seventh angel (close of mercy) sounded; and there arose loud voices in heaven, saying "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord, and His Christ; and He will reign for ever and ever." And the twenty-four elders, who sit on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying, "We give Thee thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty, who are and who wast, because Thou has taken Thy great power and hast begun to reign.
"Verse 18-19"And the nations were enraged, and Thy wrath came, and the time came for the dead to judged, and the time to give their reward to Thy bond-servants the prophets (144,000) and to the saints and to those who fear Thy name, the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth," And the temple of God which is in heaven was opened; and the ark of His covenant appeared in His temple, and there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder and an earthquake and a great hailstorm.
Heavenly Father, give us understanding of Thy Word. Cleanse us from all our iniquities and purify our lives that we might serve you in these last days. Amen
The story actually begins in chapter 10 and continues through Revelation 11. The original Greek manuscripts were not in chapter, there is no break between Revelation 10 and 11. The book of Revelation is not in chronological order, but each event or story is in order. If you try to read it in order you will not be able to understand it.
Read the entire chapters of Revelation 10 and 11.
We read in Revelation 10:8-11 And the voice which I heard from heaven, I heard again speaking with me, and saying, "Go, take the book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the land." And I went to the angel, telling him to give me the little book. And he said to me, "Take it, and eat it; and it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey; and when I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter. And they said to me," you must prophesy again concerning many peoples and nations and tongues and kings. These verses are saying that the message is sweet to take in but the experience is bitter and that the message will have to be given again.
See a close parallel in Ezekiel 2 and 3.
Notice that the book is open. Whatever is in the book is fully exposed. This book contains the final unsealing of the book of Daniel. It is an understanding of what God is about to do, an understanding of the books of Daniel and Revelation. Many will not be able to understand because this is not what they have always believed. Since this book has not been fully exposed, NO ONE has had a full understanding no matter what they have believed or have been taught. We cannot have closed minds to new understanding or we will miss what God is revealing. God sealed this little book until it came to time for understanding. Prophecy is only understood ON OR ABOUT THE TIME OF FULFILLMENT.
Revelation 11: 1-2 And there was given me a measuring rod like a staff; and someone said, "Rise and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and those who worship in it. And leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the nations; and they will tread under foot the holy city for forty two months. And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth. The measuring of the temple is referring to those who have heard the gospel, the church. The shaking will begin with the church because they have had the opportunity to hear truth. Remnant one will be gathered from this shaking. He is told not to measure the outer court, these are those whom are not saved and have not had the opportunity to hear God’s truth. Many will be brought to Him during the 7 trumpets, remnant two. And the dragon was enraged with the woman (church), and went off to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. Revelation 12:17 God has many people, but those who do not accept His truth will trample God’s people for 42 literal months.
It takes 2 witnesses to condemn a man. A single witness shall not rise up against a man on account of any iniquity or any sin which he has committed; on the evidence of two or three witnesses a matter shall be confirmed. Deuteronomy 19:15 The Bible is clear that it takes two witnesses. A man must reject both before he can be sentenced to death. Some at first may reject the Word (Bible) but may be convicted by the Holy Spirit. To be sentenced to Eternal death he must reject both. This is the unpardonable sin, blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.
Verse 3: And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth." Sackcloth refers to distressing times and they will prophesy for 1,260 literal days.
Verse 4: These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. What do the 2 lampstands represent? Here we can identify as to who the 2 witnesses are. Many believe these 2 witnesses to be Moses and Elijah or Enoch. There are no scriptures that identify Moses and Elijah or any 2 men as to being 2 lampstands or 2 olive trees. Nothing connects these as 2 men. The Bible MUST interpret itself.
The 2 Witnesses are:
Witness #1 is two Lampstands = OT/ NT= The Bible = God’s Word.
Witness #2 is two olive trees = Early/Latter Rain = work of the Holy Spirit
Reading in Zechariah 4:2-6 And he said to me, "What do you see?" And I said, "I see, and behold a lampstand all of gold with its bowl on the top of it, and its seven lamps on it with seven spouts belonging to each of the lamps which are on the top of it: also two olive trees by it, one on the right side of the bowl and the other on its left side." Then I answered and said to the angel who was speaking with me saying, "What are these, my lord"? So the angel who was speaking with me answered and said to me, "This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel saying, "Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of hosts .
In Zechariah’s day in the wilderness sanctuary the priest would fill the seven (complete) lamps in the temple every morning and evening with oil each day to keep them burning. There was one lampstand with 7 lights. The lampstand in the wilderness sanctuary represented God’s means of spreading His Word. God’s agency was His chosen people. They were to carry the Gospel to the Gentiles. "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Matthew 5:14 ……And I will appoint you as a covenant to the people, As a light to the nations." "For thus the Lord has commanded us, I have placed you as a light for the Gentiles, that you should bring salvation to the end of the earth. Isaiah 42:6 But in his vision God wanted Zechariah to understand that the light of His truth was not dependant on human means, but by His Spirit. God power, not man power. The 2 living trees are the work of the Holy Spirit. This is confirmed throughout the book of Zechariah. There are 2 trees because there are 2 works of the Holy Spirit, the early and latter rain.
Zechariah becomes more insistent. And in verse 11-14: And I answered the second time and said to him, "What are the two olive branches which are beside the two golden pipes, which empty the golden oil from themselves?’ So he answered me saying, "do you not know what these are?" And I said, "No, my lord." Then he said, "These are the two anointed ones, who are standing by the Lord of the whole earth." The Bible (His Word) and the Holy Spirit. Thy word is a lamp to my feet, And a light to my path. Psalm 119:105
In John’s vision in Revelation we see another important transition. John saw 7 lampstands instead of one. And I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands and in the middle of the lampstand one like a son of man…..Revelation 1:12-13. God had turned from the physical nation of Israel (1 lampstand) as His chosen agency and turned to the 7 Churches as His means to carry the gospel. God appointed an angel to each church to help keep it’s light burning. "As for the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands; The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches. Revelation 1:20.
At the time of the 2 witnesses we see, yet another transition. Instead of 7 lampstands that are now 2 lampstands standing before the Lord, but the 2 olive trees are unchanged.
God will select 144,000 bondservants, prophets from spiritual Israel who will go forth in the power of Elijah. These will be both men and women. "And it will come about after this That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and daughter will prophesy, Your old men will dream dreams, Your young men will see visions. And even on the male and female servants. I will pour out My Spirit in those days. Joel 2:28-29 The 2 lampstands are the means that will give the 144,000 credibility. They will be empowered by the 2 witnesses that will testify to the truth that they give. God will light up the whole world with His truth and they will be filled with Holy Spirit power.
The 144,000 will give the final prophetic message from the little book that was open in Revelation 10 that John ate. The message is the unsealing of Daniel, the Old Testament, and Revelation the New Testament.
Witness 1 2 lampstands = OT/NT = Bible
Witness 2 2 olive trees = Early/Latter Rain = Ministry of the Holy Spirit
We read in verse 5 of Revelation 11:5: And if anyone desires to harm them, fire proceeds out of their mouth and devours their enemies; and if anyone would desire to harm them, in this manner he must be killed. I read in one book on Revelation that these 2 witnesses literally blow fire like dragons out of their mouths. This is an allegory. We read in Revelation 19:15 And from His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may smite the nations; and he will rule them with a rod of iron; and he treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. Now is an actual sword going to come down to earth out of the Lord’s mouth. We are speaking figuratively. The sword is the Word of God. God will speak and whatever words He uses, you can bet they will stop people dead in their tracks. His Word is powerful! For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12 The fire that comes out of the mouths of the 144,000, just as the sword is figurative. The fire that comes out of their mouths refers to the final reward to those who reject the Salvation of Jesus. They will die by fire!
Verse 6: These have the power to shut up the sky, in order that rain may not fall during the days of their prophesying; and they have power over the water to turn them into blood, and to smite the earth with every plague, as often as they desire. The 144,000 Elijah-like people will have supernatural powers to bring credibility to their message. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain; and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. James 5:17
Verse 7: And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the abyss will make war with them, and overcome them and kill them. Now you ask, how can you kill the Bible and the Holy Spirit? Having finished their work, Satan will lead the world into open rebellion against God and His people. The world will commit the unpardonable sin, they will reject the Holy Spirit. The message of the 2 Witnesses and the 144,000 will be made of no effect and therefore their influence is killed. Everyone will have made his decision and taken the mark of the beast. God’s people will run for their lives to the shelter of Almighty God. Not one saint will parish from this time on as there would be no point because everyone has made his decision.
Verse 8: And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which mystically is called Sodom and Egypt where also their Lord was crucified. The KJV translates mystically as spiritually.
What is this great city? In ancient times a city was sometimes represented as a group of people rather than a geographical location. Read chapter 17 of Revelation.
In verse 18 we read: "And the woman whom you saw is the great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth." The great city is the woman, the harlot, BABYLON THE GREAT. The Harlot represents the global union of church and state and Sodom and Egypt represents the condition of the world at that time. Sodom represents unrestrained evil like Sodom and Gomorrah. Egypt represents hardness of heart like Pharaoh. The world will commit the unpardonable sin as everyone will have made his decision and will be a citizen of Babylon the Great or the New Jerusalem. Satan will have convinced the wicked that the 2 witnesses, the 144,000 and God’s people, have caused all the judgments coming upon them. The people of God will run for their lives just as Elijah did from Jezebel after Mt Carmel. The condition of the world is just as it was when Christ was crucified.
You can think of the place where Jesus was crucified as a just a city with walls or the people. We read in Zechariah 2:1-4 Then I lifted up my eyes and looked, and behold, there was a man with a measuring line in his hand. So I said, "Where are you going?" And he said to me, "To measure Jerusalem, to see how wide it is and how long it is." And behold, the angel who was speaking with me was going out, and another angel was coming out to meet him, and said to him, "Run, speak to that young man, saying, Jerusalem will be inhabited without walls, because of the multitude of men and cattle within it. ‘For I,’ declares the Lord, ‘will be a wall of fire around her, and I will be the glory in her midst." Jerusalem, the Holy City is not just a geographical location, but the people who look for the Holy City when God will give them the New Jerusalem. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. Revelation 21:2
Verse 9-10: And those from the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will look at their dead bodies for three and a half days, and will not permit their dead bodies be laid in a tomb. And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry; and they will send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth. Now how can the 2 witnesses have bodies? See a parallel in Esther 9:18. Those who have accepted God’s truth will pull together forming small bodies of peoples. Satan will declare a universal death decree upon the people of God and the agreement date will be 3 ½ days before the sentence is actually carried out. The wicked know that these who have brought such misery on their lives are just as good as dead. The people are not buried because they are not dead yet although many of God’s people will die under the 5th seal. These are the martyrs and many of the 144,000 that are killed. Satan will not allow their bodies to be buried.
Verse 11 And after the three and a half days the breath of life from God came into them, and they stood on their feet; and great fear fell upon those who were beholding them. There will be 1,290 days from the time of the casting down of the censer (Revelation 8:2-5) to the time that the universal death decree is to be enacted, but God will rescue His people before the sentence is carried out. Jesus will announce the deliverance of His people. "And from the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. How blessed is he who keeps waiting and attains to the 1,335 days! Daniel 12:11-12
A thousand may fall at our side, And ten thousand at your right hand; But it shall not approach you. You will only look on with your eyes, And see the recompense of the wicked. Psalms 91:7-8
Verse 12 And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, "Come up here." And they went up into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies beheld them. There is a special resurrection of all the martyrs who died under the 5th seal and the 144,000. Jesus invites these to His 2nd coming. Imagine the horror of those who killed them when they see them emerging from their graves. Also included in this special resurrection are those who killed Him. All will see the return of Christ. Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. Even so. Amen. Revelation 1:7 Then the 144,000 Elijah people are taken to heaven before the gathering of the rest of the dead. …These have been purchased from among men as first fruits to God and to the Lamb. Revelation 14:4 These will return with Him at the second coming a few days later.
Verse 13 And in that hour there was a great earthquake and a tenth of the city fell; and seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven. None of God’s people are hurt at this time. The world is divided into 10 sectors ( ten horns) during the 6th trumpet war. One tenth of Babylon’s strongest sector, possibly satan’s staff will be killed. God’s people will be terrified but they rejoice in seeing these wicked ones being destroyed. It will take about 45 days to destroy Babylon. 1335-1290 = 45 days. Daniel 12:12 Satan and his evil followers will have time to contemplate their own destruction. …and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, ""Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?" Revelation 6:16-17
Verse 14-17 The second woe is past; behold, the third woe is coming quickly. And the seventh angel (close of mercy) sounded; and there arose loud voices in heaven, saying "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord, and His Christ; and He will reign for ever and ever." And the twenty-four elders, who sit on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying, "We give Thee thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty, who are and who wast, because Thou has taken Thy great power and hast begun to reign.
"Verse 18-19"And the nations were enraged, and Thy wrath came, and the time came for the dead to judged, and the time to give their reward to Thy bond-servants the prophets (144,000) and to the saints and to those who fear Thy name, the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth," And the temple of God which is in heaven was opened; and the ark of His covenant appeared in His temple, and there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder and an earthquake and a great hailstorm.
Heavenly Father, give us understanding of Thy Word. Cleanse us from all our iniquities and purify our lives that we might serve you in these last days. Amen
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